''The Death of Bees'' is a 2013 debut novel by Lisa O'Donnell. The book was published on January 2, 2013, in the United Kingdom and United States by Windmill Books. Told through multiple viewpoints, and written in the present tense, ''The Death of Bees'' focuses on how the death of two local drug addicts affects their daughters Marnie and Nelly and the people around them. The novel won the 2013

Commonwealth Book Prize Commonwealth Foundation presented a number of prizes between 1987 and 2011. The main award was called the Commonwealth Writers' Prize and was composed of two prizes: the Best Book Prize (overall and regional) was awarded from 1987 to 2011; the Best ...

(Canada and Europe region).

Plot

After Marnie discovers the dead bodies of her parents, she and her sister decide against reporting the deaths to the police and instead bury their bodies. Reporting the death would mean social services stepping in and placing them in foster care. The sisters' lie about the disappearance of their parents is initially believed because their parents are considered unreliable drug addicts by many in the community. This lie is eventually uncovered by their

homosexual Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to peop ...

neighbor Lennie, who takes them in and cares for them. Despite Lennie's care and kindness, Marnie and Nelly are both haunted by the ghosts of their past. Nelly wakes up screaming in the night because of memories of her father molesting her while Marnie drowns her sorrows by drinking, selling drugs, and sleeping with a married man. When their maternal grandfather discovers the situation and insists on taking the two girls in, Lennie becomes intent on keeping them by his side.

Reception

Critical reception for the book was positive, with '' The Scotsman'' praising the book. '' The Herald'' called the book "hard to put down" while '' Publishers Weekly'' also praised the book but found Nelly to be a "less believable character".

Recognition

*2012 Anobii First Book Award, nominated for ''The Death of Bees'' *2013

, overall winner for ''The Death of Bees'' *201
Alex Award

References

External links

Lisa O'Donnell's page

Conville and Walsh George is the second largest city in the Western Cape province of South Africa. The city is a popular holiday and conference centre, as well as the administrative and commercial hub and the seat of the Garden Route District Municipality. It is na ...

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