Book Review: Honeybee by Craig Silvey 

When I'm fortunate enough to experience the pure magic of reading a novel like Honeybee, it's a bit of a struggle to write a review.
Not because I don't want to, but for fear of not being able to do it justice.  I mean, what can you say when days after you've finished reading a story, your mind is still within those pages, reliving the brilliance of what you've read?

This book is really something else. Exquisitely written with not a single word wasted. I devoured it and I will treasure it.

The story begins late one night when 14 year-old Sam Watson approaches an overpass. 
An old man named Vic is on the other side of the bridge, smoking a cigarette. He is there to end his life.
Unbeknownst to Vic, Sam is also contemplating the same fate.

The two spot each other, and a conversation begins.
Whether its curiosity or a cry for help that gets them talking remains to be seen.
Before long, a connection is formed, and an unlikely friendship develops. 
On that night, an unspoken commitment is made by each other to save the other.
As the story progresses, we find out what bought Sam and Vic to the bridge that evening.

These two people are so different from each other, yet their suffering and hurt is equivalent. 
This is what unites them and forms the basis of their support for one another.
I don't want to give much more away as Honeybee is one story you need to experience for yourself.

I am so grateful to Craig Silvey for writing this stunning novel. What an extraordinarily talented writer.
I know that I will revisit Honeybee many times. It is now one of my favourite novels.
I adored the characters. 
Sam, Vic, Edie, Aggie and Fella Bitzgerald/Peter. Each of them really grabbed me.
These characters are real, flawed, and empathetic. They are giving of both time and of themselves. 
In particular, Sam and Vic made their way into my heart. I adored their friendship, and I loved how each strived to give what the other was seeking. The determination to save the other was admirable.
I laughed at some parts, I cried multiple times, and I paused and shook my head with wonderment at many lines. How such a beautiful story can be created from one mind is a wonder.

Read Honeybee. If you don't like to read, listen to it or have someone read it to you. Or at least buy it and give it to someone you know who reads. This book needs to be read. 
It is a story of hope, a story of love, and a story of understanding and accepting. 
Thank you again Craig Silvey for this fabulous novel.

Honeybee is available through Allen & Unwin from 29th September, RRP $32.99
For further information on this title, head here.