Telling the Bees

by Peggy Hesketh

Overview

THE NATIONAL BESTSELLER

A lifelong beekeeper, Albert Honig is deeply acquainted with the ways and workings of the hives. He knows that bees dislike wool clothing and foul language; that the sweetest honey is made from the blooms of eucalyptus; and that bees are at their gentlest in a swarm. But Albert is less versed in the ways of people, especially his beautiful, courageous, and secretive friend Claire.

A friend and neighbor since childhood, Claire was a hovering presence—and then a glaring absence—in Albert’s life, a change that has never been reconciled. When she is killed in a seemingly senseless accident during a burglary gone wrong, Albert is haunted by the loss. In the aftermath of this tragedy, he is left to piece together the events of their lives to attempt to make sense of their shared past and the silence that persisted between them for a decade before her death. What Albert comes to learn is that Claire’s secrets were far darker than anything he could have imagined...

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781101609262
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	03/07/2013
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	313,861
File size:	668 KB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Peggy Hesketh’s writing has appeared in Calliope and Antietam Review; her short story “A Madness of Two” was selected by Elizabeth George for inclusion in the anthology Two of the Deadliest. A longtime journalist, Hesketh teaches writing and rhetoric at the University of California, Irvine. This is her first novel.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Praise for Telling the Bees
 
“[A] stately and beautiful novel . . . Only a superhuman reader will be able to resist foraging through the house looking for that half-eaten jar of honey.”—Carolyn See, Washington Post
 
“Elegantly crafted . . . While readers are likely to find themselves longing for a plate of buttered toast and honey, there’s nothing ‘cozy’ about Telling the Bees—it’s downright gorgeous.”—The Christian Science Monitor
 
“Elegiac in its tone, Telling the Bees is a quiet, meditative novel, dressed up as a murder mystery, but more geared towards examining the intricacies of the human condition and the power of secrets when voiced than in identifying who killed Claire. As Albert slowly sifts through his fragile memories of the past, patient readers will be rewarded with a rich story that softly stings and is utterly unforgettable.”—BookPage
 
“Reminiscent of Marilynne Robinson’s Gilead, Hesketh’s debut explores family secrets and end-of-life reflections. The author’s exceptional storytelling skills allow us not only to understand Albert’s feelings, but to experience those emotions right along with him. Readers in search of a heartfelt, thought-provoking novel will find what they are looking for in this journey through the life of an unassuming apiarist who knows more about his reclusive neighbors than anyone could guess.”—Library Journal (starred review)
 
“Elegiac in its tone, Telling the Bees is a quiet, meditative novel, dressed up as a murder mystery, but more geared towards examining the intricacies of the human condition and the power of secrets when voiced than in identifying who killed Claire. As Albert slowly sifts through his fragile memories of the past, patient readers will be rewarded with a rich story that softly stings and is utterly unforgettable.”—BookPage
 
“In her invention of the singular Mr. Honig (and his life, from an early age) Hesketh has created a stubborn and enigmatic and duplicitously withholding character whose life story is nonetheless told richly, in turns melancholy, exhilarating, sociological, with a murder mystery and a deep appreciation for the stories we all construct for ourselves and for others.”—OC Weekly

"A story of shared history, secrets of omission, and revisited memories, Telling the Bees is nostalgic and hauntingly poetic.  Richly detailed and sparsely populated, Hesketh's debut novel relies on Albert's depth of narration and an enlightening amount of apiology.  Reminiscent of the work of Karen Joy Fowler and Peter Orner, Telling the Bees reminds readers that even quiet hives are deceptively active."—Booklist

"Telling the Bees is a marvel. With infinite compassion and perfect pitch, Peggy Hesketh has written an American classic: the inadvertent examination of a life unlived, told by the 80-year-old beekeeper who didn't live it. It's a wonderful read for anyone who loves a great and unforgettable story told well."—Elizabeth George, New York Times-bestselling author of the Inspector Lynley series
 
"What a wonderful novel!  The voice is so masterfully done, the mysteries of life and death so compellingly evoked.  But best of all is the way Telling the Bees reminds us that even the quietest life will still hold its full measure of drama and passion." —Karen Joy Fowler, New York Times-bestselling author of The Jane Austen Book Club

"In Peggy Hesketh's poignant debut novel, Telling the Bees, the lasting effects of long held secrets is at the core of beekeeper Albert Honig's otherwise quiet world.  In the twilight of his life, Honig is haunted by the past memories of his long-time neighbors. Rich in detail, Hesketh has crafted a thoughtful, compelling story of loss and regret and the unforeseeable consequences that come when the truth is finally revealed.  A wonderful read." —Gail Tsukiyama, author of A Hundred Flowers

"Telling the Bees is a charming tale of a bygone era evoking the power of the past to influence the future. Hesketh's ability to create an evocative narrative will leave readers eager to read more by this talented writer."—Jo-Ann Mapson, author of Solomon's Oak and Finding Casey

Editorial Reviews

Narrator Albert Honig is a beekeeper who has lived his 80-plus years in the same house, content with his solitude, his routines, and his bees. When he discovers the two elderly sisters next door have been murdered in their home, he is forced to relive memories he has suppressed for decades, retracing his 70-year friendship with them in search of the reason they were killed. Gradually, he finds the courage to face the guilt, happiness, pain, and love he has been avoiding for years. VERDICT Reminiscent of Marilynne Robinson's Gilead, Hesketh's debut explores family secrets and end-of-life reflections. The author's exceptional storytelling skills allow us not only to understand Albert's feelings, but to experience those emotions right along with him. Readers in search of a heartfelt, thought-provoking novel will find what they are looking for in this journey through the life of an unassuming apiarist who knows more about his reclusive neighbors than anyone could guess. [See Prepub Alert, 9/27/12.]—Katie Wernz, Powell, OH

Library Journal

Some have compared Telling the Bees, Peggy Hesketh's first, stately and beautiful novel to The Remains of the Day, but to my mind it compares to the best of Elmore Leonard. There are murders here but much more than that: a series of glimpses into an entirely different and closed place. Just as Leonard might delight in giving us the world of bootleg liquor or undertakers, Hesketh presents us with the world of bees and beekeeping. Only a superhuman reader will be able to resist foraging through the house looking for that half-eaten jar of honey. We have mostly forgotten, but it is a magic elixir.

The Washington Post - Carolyn See

With infinite compassion and perfect pitch, Peggy Hesketh has written an American classic.”—Elizabeth George

“Some have compared Telling the Bees, Peggy Hesketh’s first, stately and beautiful novel to The Remains of the Day, but to my mind it compares to the best of Elmore Leonard. There are murders here but much more than that: a series of glimpses into an entirely different and closed place…in addition to the murder-mystery part of this narrative, the bees add another entirely sweet layer of plot and character.”—The Washington Post

“ELEGIAC AND INTELLIGENT.”—Gordon McAlpine, author of Joy in Mudville

“WONDERFUL.”—Karen Joy Fowler, New York Times bestselling author

“HEARTFELT [AND] THOUGHT-PROVOKING.”—Library Journal (starred review)

“POIGNANT.”—Gail Tsukiyama, author of A Hundred Flowers

“CHARMING.”—Jo-Ann Mapson, author of Solomon’s Oak

“UTTERLY UNFORGETTABLE.”—BookPage

“DOWNRIGHT GORGEOUS.”—The Christian Science Monitor

From the Publisher

The language of place is evoked so very carefully, so calmly and elegantly in Hesketh's novel... this gorgeous novel...will be a big hit and, if there is any justice, it will find a place on the shelf that is the Orange County literary canon.

OC Weekly

Elegiac in its tone, Telling the Bees is a quiet, meditative novel, dressed up as a murder mystery, but more geared towards examining the intricacies of the human condition and the power of secrets when voiced than in identifying who killed Claire. As Albert slowly sifts through his fragile memories of the past, patient readers will be rewarded with a rich story that softly stings and is utterly unforgettable.

BookPage

Like fine music that starts softly, then adds layers of intensity until a moving crescendo is reached, Hesketh's remarkable story increases its intrigue and complexity as it builds toward a memorable finish. Norman Dietz is pitch-perfect in his rendition of elderly beekeeper and social misfit Albert Honig, whose pedantic nature is revealed through long passages on the intricate behaviors and lore of bees. Dietz’s tone reflects Honig’s endearing puzzlement as he tries unsuccessfully to comprehend the tragedies of his own small slice of human society. Using nuance and understatement to achieve maximum emotional impact, Dietz's style is an ideal match for this quietly powerful story of lives and loves choked off by the crushing weight of dark secrets. This is beautifully written and presented debut novel. Listeners will be left wanting more. M.O.B. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine

JUNE 2013 - AudioFile

Friendship between two beekeepers leads to tragedy. Elderly bachelor Albert Honig has lived in a California orange grove all his life, tending to several beehives. The neighborhood around him is gradually changing as farmland gives way to freeways and strip malls. The routine he has cultivated, imparted long ago by his own father, is comforting, until one day in 1992, it is disrupted when he discovers the bodies of his next-door neighbors, murdered, it appears, during a botched robbery. The victims, Hilda and Claire Straussman, sisters known as the Bee Ladies, are also lifelong residents of the area, and perhaps their bodies would have been discovered earlier had Albert not been estranged from them for the past 11 years. The estrangement becomes the central quandary of the novel, which weaves back and forth in time, exploring the longstanding but forever unacknowledged attachment between contemplative Albert and sylphlike, mercurial Claire. Bee lore, grounded equally in modern science and ancient tradition, is interspersed throughout, positing the life of the hive as a template for a human family. As Albert is interrogated by a suitably sardonic police detective, his circumspect narration raises other mysteries besides the identity of the culprits: What happened to turn Hilda into a taciturn hulk? Who inflicted the bruises on teenage Claire's neck? What accounts for 20-something Claire's long stay in Alabama, after which she returned with an infant? That infant, David Gilbert, supposedly abandoned by a relative to be raised by the Straussmans, will, in turn, become estranged from the Bee Ladies--based on the same incident which severed Albert's connection with them. Someone is eventually convicted of the murders, but a question remains: Was this truly a random tragedy or one as inevitable as a bee colony's collapse? The sheer oddness of Albert's world contributes to a sense of creeping dread, and his ornate diction successfully conveys his archaic sensibility, with occasional lapses in clarity. An intermittently arcane but undeniably original debut.

Kirkus Reviews