The Music of Bees by Eileen Garvin
An emotional rollercoaster about friends, family and community. At the end I not only wanted to move to the Pacific Northwest, I also wanted to become a beekeeper.
Summary:
The Music of Bees follows three lonely strangers in a rural Oregon town, each working through grief and life’s curveballs, who are brought together by happenstance on a local honeybee farm where they find surprising friendship, healing–and maybe even a second chance–just when they least expect it.
Beautifully moving, warm, and uplifting, The Music of Bees is about the power of friendship, compassion in the face of loss, and finding the courage to start over (at any age) when things don’t turn out the way you expect.
Review (Includes Spoilers): 4/5
I went into this book relatively blind; I didn’t even look at the synopsis. My friend recommended it, and it was available at the local library, so I checked it out.
Sometimes books come into your life when you least expect them. I’m in the middle of somewhat of a life change, questioning decisions made, were they the right choices, do I still have time to course correct, am I going to be stuck in this job/ career/ state forever, and this book just reminded me that I am not alone in my thoughts. That everyone goes through life moments that impact them in ways that make them question their choices. It was refreshing to read a book that reminds you how connected humans can be and the importance of community. Also, change is good and should be welcomed… at any age.
Right from the jump I was invested in the lives of the characters. You start the book learning about Jake, Alice and Harry as individuals all living in Hood River, Oregon. From the beginning I felt compelled to learn more about each person. I didn’t know how they would come together, but they already had such deep character development that I wanted to continue on the journey to find out how they connect.
The main character, Alice, is a self-described loner. Someone who is getting by day by day, avoiding making any deep connections. Jake is a recent paraplegic, who just graduated high school, his whole life upended by a freak accident. Understandably, he deals with depression and is struggling to find purpose. Finally, we meet Harry, a guy in his early 20s struggling with anxiety and the confusion of how to belong.
An unexpected accident brings Jake and Alice together and to her bees. I was not aware of how much I could love a bee until I read this book. I have never wanted to become a beekeeper more. The way the bees are described makes them almost human. Actually, better than humans, makes them pet like. I feel bad for how misunderstood the bee community is. Truly, I feel like everyone should read this book to understand not only the importance of bees to the ecosystem but also how multi-faceted they are. There is obviously the queen bee, but there are worker bees, pollinators, egg layers, protectors, researchers - the nuance to the bee ecosystem is layered!
As Jake realizes he has a deep connection to the bees, Alice decides she needs to hire an extra hand for the orchard. That is where Harry comes in. Now, I have never felt more deeply for a character with social anxiety. You can tell he’s a good kid, just has gotten in to bad situations due to lack of confidence with himself. I feel so much for people like that. When you can’t trust yourself, can’t standup for yourself, or can’t even make a decision because of your crippling anxiety. How do you live? I know there are so many people out there that get swept into bad situations because of their anxiety and the lack of positive people in their lives. Not even remodels, just people in their lives that do good.
Out of all three characters I was most interested in Alice and Harry’s story lines. Jake arguably had the most interesting story line, young kid, freak accident, can never walk again, has to rebuild his life. But I just wasn’t into listening to his story. I think it was mostly because I could not relate to his character. I’m not a young male. I don’t play instruments nor do I skateboard. I’ve never not been able to see the positive side of things or to find an alternative solution.
On the other hand, I related all too well with Harry and Alice, more so with Alice. I sometimes get social anxiety and have definitely had my fair share of not connecting with the right crowd. Not as bad as Harry’s situation, but I could relate. There was one line that really resonated with me: “Harry was a passenger in the vehicle that was his life”. This statement hits me so hard. There are so many times I feel like I am just a passenger in my life. As for Alice, I saw myself in her. Good and bad.
Alice is a self-described loner and likes it that way. She prefers to live with her bees and not deal with humans. Honestly, agreed just sans bees. What Alice comes to realize is that you can’t go through life as an isolationist. That is a lesson I have yet to learn. (Maybe I should take this as a hint).
Fundamentally, I understand the importance of having people in your life to talk to hang out with, get advice from. But having the wrong people in your life can be worse than having no people … I mean just look at Harry’s story.
I will say there is a lot of low-key pontificating happening in this book. Especially towards the end. There is definitely an angle this book is trying to push which I really wasn’t here for. Just tell the story of the bees and the importance of community. You can explain how bad certain pesticides are for bees and local orchards but you don’t need to dedicate 4 chapters to it.
In spite of that, and the somewhat lengthy ending, this book is a must read for me. One, it does such a wonderful job describing the life of bees and the importance of bee keeping. The scenic descriptions also geniunely made me want to visit the Pacific Northwest. On top of that, the subject matter is important. Community is important and finding people that get you is important. It’s a reminder to everyone (me) that as much as it sometimes sucks to put yourself out there to meet new people and cultivate existing relationships it is critical to your overall well-being.
Here’s to bees - may they keep connecting us :)
Movie Casting:
I’m only going to cast the main three. There are a handful of other key characters, but getting the main characters is the most important - and just more fun since we are with them for most of the book.
Alice: Charlize Theron (but would need to be plained down). Or Jennifer Garner or Kate Winslet.
Harry: Alfred Lewis Enoch
Jake: Finn Wolfhard
The Music of Bees brough music to my eyes (LOL). My next book will be…
The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune.
