Review: The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd (Spoiler-Free)
I am in the center of the universe, where everything is sung to life.
A masterclass in sensory detail.
I first read this book at 12 years old and all I still carried with me about it was a fleeting sense of summer. (Also the phrase "jiggle-tit.") I can see now, why that memory of heat was so strong. This book doesn't just take place in the South on a honey farm, it encases you in it. Every page drips with sweetness and warmth. It's both beautiful and incredibly heavy. Glistening, but sticky. A perfect encapsulation of the protagonist's internal conflict—how could she love a mom that left?
As seems to be the case with every childhood re-read I've done, this book is darker than I recalled. It covers racism, suicide, domestic abuse, murder, guilt, and topics even more nuanced than that. I see now why this makes such a good classroom novel.
The religious motifs (while glaringly obvious) were not something I picked up on as a student because I grew up completely detached from religion at all. But with knowledge I've learned since, I really like how this book handles the subject and keeps Mary as something one should worship from within rather than some sort of monolithic being.
I also found the small romance really captivating and I wish we got to see it explored even further later on in the novel. But the fact that it wasn't probably makes more sense logically.
I'm very glad I decided to read this again in my adulthood. Sue Monk Kidd paints with words in a way I have very seldom seen before. Maggie Stiefvater comes to mind as a possible comparison. Overall, a gorgeous, gorgeous book.

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