Book Blurb:
Eliza Naumann, a seemingly unremarkable nine-year-old, expects never to fit into her gifted family: her autodidact father, Saul, absorbed in his study of Jewish mysticism; her brother, Aaron, the vessel of his father’s spiritual ambitions; and her brilliant but distant lawyer-mom, Miriam. But when Eliza sweeps her school and district spelling bees in quick succession, Saul takes it as a sign that she is destined for greatness. In this altered reality, Saul inducts her into his hallowed study and lavishes upon her the attention previously reserved for Aaron, who in his displacement embarks upon a lone quest for spiritual fulfillment. When Miriam’s secret life triggers a familial explosion, it is Eliza who must order the chaos.
My Review: 4 stars
Bee Season is a fabulous and engaging coming of age story. It’s about a young girl trying to find her place in her family who praises perfection. There are moments that are relatable to our own friends or families as Eliza is a keen observer of those around her. Even at young age, Eliza’s astuteness allows her to pick up on the minute nuances of her family members.
The blurb gives you the gist of this book, but it’s so much more. Everything comes to a crossroad combining Jewish mysticism, spelling bees, Hare Krishna tactics, mental illness and redemption.
Highly recommend and I look forward to what’s next from the author.
Quotes I liked:
She has often felt that her outsides were too dull for her insides, that deep within her there was something better than what everyone else could see.”
“Eliza wonders if death is not a sleep you can’t wake up from but life reduced to one inescapable moment.”
“Rushing toward her are all the letters of the alphabet. Each one moves in its own way, X cartwheeling over and over, C hopping forward, M and N marching stiff-legged and resolute.”
Shop on Amazon Here!
