STORY SUMMARY
Olivia McAfee is a divorced mother of one teenaged boy named Asher. Her ex-husband is a cardiac surgeon in Boston and was physically and emotionally abusive to her when she was married to him.She appeared to have the picture perfect life: Living in Boston, successful husband, beautiful boy. She never had imagined that she would end up back in her hometown of Adams, New Hampshire raising her son by herself and following in her parents' footsteps of being a beekeeper. But she's doing it.....starting over and living in her childhood home. Asher is a senior in high school. He is a hockey star for the high school varsity team and has a new girlfriend named Lily. He's been living in Adams since his mother fled from his abusive father when he was just 6 years old. His best friend is Maya who is also friends with Lily.
Lily Campanello and her mother Ava are new in town. Lily has just started at the high school and is a gifted cellist. Ava and her mother fled their home in Seattle when Lily's father became difficult to live with. They are starting over in this small town for Lily's final year of high school. Lily falls completely in love with Asher and they are inseparable and when she's with Asher, she feels happy for the first time in her life. But she sometimes wonders if she can completely trust him......
One day, Olivia gets a phone call: Asher is being questioned by the local police and Lily is dead! Olivia knows her son is innocent...but she'd be lying if she didn't acknowledge the bursts of anger she sometimes sees in Asher...reminding her of his father Bradon.
As the case unfolds and Asher goes to trial for murder, Olivia realizes that Asher has hidden more than he's shared with her.
Is Asher capable of murder? Did he kill Lily?
MY THOUGHTS
This is a very impactful and important book. The main themes center around gender identity, particularly transgender teens. It's an unforgettable love story and suspenseful story all wrapped up in one amazing novel. It's a look at the secrets we keep and the risks we take to become the real versions of ourselves.
Other themes in this book are: domestic violence/abuse, divorce, single parenthood, friendship, mother-daughter relationships, mother-son relationships, father-child relationships, loss, death, grief.
There's a whole section about animals (mainly types of fish) that God created that have male and female traits/parts or that change sex in their development (hard to explain here but I found it was a good explanation by the author). It was fascinating to me and much of it was new information to me as I didn't take science classes and never knew some of this.
I loved the character development and each character is facing some kind of trauma. The title fits the story well. She even explains what "mad honey" is when bees produce it. It's a metaphor I think for how some relationships suck you in....they seem sweet...but are actually dangerous. The whole book is symbolic with the honey and relationships.
I don't want to say too much as I don't want to spoil this story for you.
There were so many good quotes from this book. Here are a few of my favorites:
" "What's shocking to you isn't that the justice system is flawed, Olivia. It's that you were naive enough to believe all this time that it wasn't. "" (pg 139 Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult c.2022)
"People want the world to be simple. But gender isn't simple, much as some might want it to be. The fact that it's complicated----that there's a whole spectrum of ways of being in this world---is what makes it a blessing. Surely nature---or God---or the universe---is full of miracles and wild invention and things beyond our understanding, no matter how hard we try. We aren't here on earth in order to bend over backward to resemble everybody else. We're here to be ourselves, in all our gnarly brilliance." (pg 218).
Now...that last quote: I believe as a Christ follower that it is God who has done miracles...I believe God created nature and the wild inventions and things beyond our understanding. I know this. I think that some people are just as complicated as the author is making them out to be. Who are we to say any differently? Someone who "feels" like a boy but is born a girl. (or vice versa) ...I'm not in that position. I don't know what that "feels" like. I just know it exists. I figure God will sort it all out in the end.
This next quote really jumped out at me:
"There is no set of rules that dictates what you owe someone you love. What parts of your past should be disclosed? Should you confess you are trans? Alcoholic? That you had a same-sex relationship? An abortion? That you were abused by the person you trusted most in the world? When, if ever, if the right time for that conversation........Where is the line between keeping something private, and being dishonest? What if the worst happens? What if honesty is the thing that breaks you apart?" (pg 303)
"Even if someone is violent, or a liar; even if he breaks your heart every time you hand it to him---that doesn't necessarily stop you from loving him. The two are not mutually exclusive." (pg 341)
There are wonderful notes from both authors at the end and after some fun recipes that involve honey.
This book is such an important topic for every one of us. How we so need to have kindness towards others. Just kindness!! Let's make the world a better place....for all.
In my opinion, this book is appropriate for ages 14 and older.
On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest, I rate this a 10.
1 comment:
Good review. Sounds like an interesting book.
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