The History of Bees, a book by Maja Lunde

 

  This contemporary fiction bestseller is not as dry as it sounds. It is a very clever and beautifully written novel by the Norwegian writer Maja Lunde with three plots from different eras that are masterfully woven together. I've started reading this book recently and I am enjoying it so much that I don't want it to end.

 This book not only examines who we are as human beings and where we are headed,  climate change, industrialization, catastrophes, but it also focuses on family relationships and family legacy. In my opinion, family relationships are the key element .

 19th century England. William, an eccentric biologist tries to find new ways to grow bees to help his poor family and bring them fame. His relationship with his son is a struggle. Modern day US. George, a farmer who struggles to keep up with the modern beekeeping that uses mass production techniques and causes damage to the environment. Also George has a difficult relationship with his son. The third plot and the third era is 2098, China. Tao, who lives in oppressive society, where farming has died  and workers forcefully paint pollen onto trees because there are no bees anymore. As a result, there is great poverty and starvation. Tao also has a son, and after something mysterious happens to him, she needs to find a way to save him.

  I find the combination of romantic novel, Dystopian fiction and contemporary style of writing very captivating. The way the author connects the stories together while dealing with very important aspects of life is amazing.

 However, the characters are not very memorable, for me at least. While reading, I always feel that William, George and Tao are somewhat two dimensional. What I mean is that you can't fall in love with them or, on the contrary, hate them, like you normally would with characters in  other books.

 Nevertheless, if you have some free time and you want to relax reading good literature, give this book a chance. You don't have to like bees, or honey, to enjoy this book. It is very skillfully written and makes a pleasurable reading. I think that the mixture of romance and mystery, family relationships and environmental issues, are  amongst the reasons why this book became a bestseller.