The Bees is a mix of a character-driven and plot-driven adult fiction novel written by Laline Paull and published in 2015. [Affiliate links for books via Amazon]
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The book is described as a mix of The Hunger Games and The Handmaid's Tale, but with bees and while I've not read either, from what I have heard and seen that would be accurate. The story itself was engaging and well written. However, while it is well written and engaging, describing insect society in a manner that you would a human society gets rather grim, incredibly fast.
In The Bees, we follow the fast-paced life of Flora 717, a sanitation worker bee who seems to be stronger, braver, and more independent than many other bees in their orchard hive. We follow her from initial emergence from her protective hatching capsule, onward. For any not aware, once bee larvae have matured into ‘adult’ bees they have to chew their way out of their protective place in the comb. Also as stated in a Treehugger blog on the subject, “bees [...] change jobs over the course of the year as they grow from young bees to more experienced ones and the seasons change.”
Through her perseverance and commitment to help the hive, she gains respect from those of higher rank. In this micro-universe, the bees all carry the name of a flower, designating their role in the hive and this developmental evolution is unheard of. Teasel bees tend the eggs and newly hatched bee larvae. Thistles are the defenders, often called “The Thistle Guard.” Sage bees belong to the highest caste, operating as the priestesses and, traditionally, queens. The Flora, the lowest of bees, have no designated flower name, are generally seen as being expendable, and literally have no voice, mostly because their voices have been ‘sealed’.
The depictions of violence and death are, from what I am aware, accurate to bee activity and societal structure. There is a queen, who lays eggs. There are drones (male bees), that are only really in the hive for mating purposes and are killed off when they become more burden than benefit to the hive. Wasps kill and eat bees when they are able to get access to them. Bees are beautiful, complex creatures with highly detailed lives and roles. They can also be terrifying when viewed through the eyes of a fellow bee, as the narrative shows.
Indeed, there are over 20 different bee designations mentioned in the text, each connected to a different plant. It also appears that all the female bees were given the names of flowers and herbs, traditionally more delicate plants, while drones were given the names of trees.
This might have a connection to the on-going narrative that only the queen is able to reproduce and the forager bees--the only workers who routinely leave the hive--only love the flowers they visit. It might also have symbolic connection to drones not really being of benefit to the hive, aside from being potential mates to queens in the area, as trees are not often known for their flowers. Likewise, trees tend to be seen as strong, hardy plants. Unlike their namesakes, however, the drones have a rather singular purpose to their environment.
This "biological importance" is subverted later through the power of friendship, which I found an interesting touch. Especially as it adds character development and progresses the plot.
If you go into it expecting there to be graphic depictions of death from the perspective of the creatures going through it, you will likely be better prepared for the plot than I was. There is also a repeated theme of psychological manipulation and trauma, in addition to physical violence that I wasn't expecting, but is in line with what I know of how bees operate with certain scent markers.
It is somehow less traumatic to hear (I listened to the audiobook) animals attacking other animals, but when presented as it was, many times it felt like I was listening to a horror podcast. Which is fine, if that’s what I was expecting going in. There are times that I really quite enjoy horror readings. However, I have to be in a very particular headspace for that and was not. So, if you would like to read this, be prepared for graphic depictions of violence and gore, mentions of torture, fear, loss of personal autonomy, pregnancy and infanticide, mostly perpetuated by bees on other bees.
I don’t know if I would have had a different experience reading it as a text book instead of an audiobook, but it’s been several days since I finished reading it and still have the vivid descriptions stuck in my head. So I commend the author for being able to paint such a detailed picture of the hive’s microcosm and surroundings. Likewise, there are some very heavy topics addressed in the text ranging from the above to the effects pesticides have on bee populations and even old human customs for interacting with bees.
Overall, it was well written to evoke a visceral response from the reader. However, you also have to be in a very particular headspace in order to read this and not have a negative response. While I appreciate the story for what it is and am fairly sure friends of mine would enjoy the content far more than I did, I am giving the book itself 3 stars.
List of plants used to characterize the bees’ names:
Clover - secondary nurse bees / nurse assistants
Teasel - heads of nurse ward
Flora - sanitation workers, low ranking enough that they don't have a floral designation
Sage - priestesses of the Melissai
Thistle - defenders of the hive on the landing board - "the thistle-guard"
Bindweed - supervising the sanitation workers
Dandelion
Bluebottle - bees displaying insanity or general intoxication
Rose
Plantain - sturdy bees
Burdock
Prunis - bee that is rather reserved
Primrose
Linden - Entitled drone - keeps trying to assault Flora
Quercus - *that* guy, thinks he's owed everything drone - leading the drones
Lily - forager, collecting nectar
Violet
Willow
Burnet
Meadowsweet
Cowslip - one of the supervisor bees
Poppy
Malice
Illex
Cornflower