The Bee Sting (2022) by Paul Murray

 Book Review

The Bee Sting (2022)

by Paul Murray

  The Booker Prize shortlist announcement is this week (9/21).  I got a tip from an acquaintance who served as a judge on the Costa Prize until it ended that The Bee Sting, by Irish author Paul Murray was a hot pick over in the UK so I prioritized getting my hands on the eBook and then reading that eBook (I have a pretty high percentage of NOT completing the eBooks I check out from the library).  This is the fifth book from the longlist I've tackled (Western Lane, In Ascension, This Other Eden and Old God's Time).  Of those five I'd say that this book and Old God's Time are both likely shortlist candidates, followed by Western Lane and that In Ascension (genre) and This Other Eden (white male American author) are both unlikely to make the cut.

  In fact, The Bee Sting could very much be the winner this year since it combines elements that Booker juries have prioritized in recent years: First and foremost, it's a good read- a book with interesting, sympathetic characters, a definite story to tell and a plot that rewards reading the whole book.  That's the main thing I've noticed from the last several years of Booker nominees- the shortlisters and winners tend to actually be entertaining books that reward the reader.  Like many books in this category, the description "An Irish family tries to deal with the fall-out from the 2008 recession," doesn't do the book justice.  It's also true that this is one of those books where an in depth review is likely to compromise the reading experience.   Indeed though, this book has the feel of a winner (as does Old God's Time).