Book Review: The Bees

I got a recommendation to pick up Laline Paull's The Bees, a fascinating book from the perspective of a small worker bee. It creates a vivid world of hierarchy, religion, communication, and economy within a beehive. The main character is a bee whose DNA codes strange mutations, allowing her to break out of her designated roles. It is a story of how she overcomes the strange social, societal, and religious boundaries of this beehive. It is also a story of the life cycle of bees, the changes of the seasons, and the threats bees face. Ultimately, it was amusing and engaging with a touch of science fiction and social commentary. However, it had the feel of a first novel without the polish of experience and time. Although I enjoyed it, it is not a book I would find myself rereading.

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