Book Review: The Bee Sting by Paul Murray

(aka: The book a handsome man told me to read… and I did)

Well, if you know me, you know I’m a sucker for a handsome face. A nice guy recommended this book, so naturally I read it—and loved it.

But fair warning: you need to be in the right mindset. This book gets dark.

It reminded me of the movie American Beauty. The story focuses on a single family, peeling back each member’s perspective one by one—starting with the mother. And yikes… would you ever want your deepest secrets out in the open like that? Paul Murray writes them out so effortlessly, it’s like watching a slow unraveling in real time.

What I loved most was the exploration of perspective. People make choices they think are “right,” while others see them as totally “wrong.” This book takes you back in time with each character and lets you see how the past shaped their present. One moment you’re thinking, ugh, she should not have done that, and the next, you’re diving into her backstory going, okay girl, I get it—I probably would’ve done the same thing.

Books like this are so important. They force you out of your own bubble and build real empathy. If we only ever see the world through our own lens, we miss the complexity and humanity in others.

My favorite character? Cassie (the daughter). She was the easiest to relate to. I kept saying, “Same, girl. Same.” I think I was relating to a younger version of myself.

I went in blind—I didn’t know anything about this book before I started, and honestly, I’m glad. It doesn’t sound like something I’d normally read, but I’m so glad I did.

The real question is:
Do you like how it ends?
Let me know if you’ve read it—I’m dying to hear your thoughts.

Till next time —
Happy Reading,
Marsha