My book review of 'Here is the Beehive' by Sarah Crossan

by Sarah Crossan
Here is the Beehive
by Sarah Crossan

I've been a huge fan of this author since reading her YA novels 'One' and 'Moonrise', both written in blank verse. They were incredibly evocative of place, emotion and story, with each sentence, each line, each word, so carefully chosen. Breathtaking!

This is her first novel for adults, similarly written in blank verse. The storytelling is just as intense, possibly even more so.

Ana and Connor have been having an affair for three years. They are both married with children, but have created a separate, secret world for their intense, passionate moments together.

But Connor has died, suddenly, and Ana has almost been driven mad by the shock of her loss. She cannot express her profound grief, because their life together was illicit, hidden, unknown. She chooses, then, to become close to Connor through befriending his wife.

It is an unsettling insight of a selfish obsession to which I didn't enjoy being privy! But the power of emotion, the intensity of feeling, and the sense of emotional entrapment was extraordinary. It was a troubling read. I am still stunned by her writing, but I was eager to leave Ana's world.

Date of this review: July 2020
Book publication date: 20th August 2020