For me bees are irritating, they evoke a sense of fear that has derived from memories of painful stings during my childhood. So when I see a bee profusely buzzing around near me – all logic flies out the window, I think they are out to get me and a weird dance erupts out of nowhere, consisting of me jumping around, waving my arms about.
I had no idea the impact they had on the environment and the detrimental factor that they had for the survival of human beings, until I read this book.
Maja Lunde masterfully weaves together biology, nature and human relationship to share with readers the importance of these small but majestic creatures, in her debut novel, The History of Bees.
Spanned through different time periods and told through three different perspectives, this dystopic novel shakes humans into realising the dangers of modern day farming.
At first, each character seems unrelated to each other, just appearing to be random people who relay their experiences with farming – one set in the past, one in the twenty-first century and a perspective from the future.
Climate change and the dangers of it has increasingly become a topical issue – maybe it’s due to the constant stream of documentaries educating us, or the media reporting on the never ending unearthing of ethical issues impacting the environment.
With this comes a recently new literary genre all wrapped with a big warning sign bow as it has a headstrong focus to caution the reader on the errors of our ways and the effects they have on the natural world around us.
Lunde’s debut novel for adults was my first experience of the ‘cli-fli’, or climate fiction genre.
Even though taking centre stage within the pages of the novel is the theme of modern day farming and the roles bees play, Lunde subtly also describes family relationships, loss, and education and intellect.
The theme that stuck out for me throughout the entirety of the book was the exposure of parent and child relationships.
The optimism and dreams the parent bestows on their child, interestingly enough always appears to be their dream they are trying to embed into their child in this narrative.
For example, the narrative of William set in England 1852 – he has a obsession with the study of bees. He has a goal of recreating the hive, based on extensive research that he has dedicated his time to. After battling what appears as depression he sets to work trying to restore his family name and regain the admiration of his son Edmund.
William has no time for his daughters, but one daughter in particularly persistently throws her knowledge and keenness to learn on her father. Charlotte soon becomes an apprentice and a key figure in the story – one that was lurking in the shadows of William’s narrative.
On the other hand there is Edmund. The son who William has cast all his dreams and aspirations on. The family put every single penny they have to a side for William’s college tuition. Under William’s nose Edmund is constantly disappearing, always seeking his bed and has no interest in studying like his dad had once done.
Lunde keeps you hooked onto this storyline and it’s not till the very end that the narrative is laid out in front of you.
With one simple revelation everything fits together like a jigsaw, there is a click in your brain as you start to piece together three intertwining narratives that have one simple thing in common, the bee.
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Mishelle Thurai 