For Christmas this year Beloved and I decided that we would do a few things for the house instead of buy each other presents, doing the one thing I said we would never do. I was always a bit disparaging of couples who would buy their own present and wrap it up for themselves, that sort of thing. But I must say I have been feeling pretty self satisfied sitting in our bedroom with the nice wicker laundry baskets, funky lamps and lovely wedding photo that has been turned into a large canvas. A grown-up bedroom – yay! However, some sort of unspoken agreement occurred and when I gave Beloved his bottle of aftershave (Dirty English by Juicy Couture) He presented me with two books.
Of Bees and Mistby Erick Setiawan was awesome. I got it on Christmas morning. I had finished it by 11am the next day. And we did actually do things on Christmas day. This book had a real Gabriel Garcia Marquez ‘magic realism’ feel about it however it was much more accessible. I have read 100 Years of Solitude a couple of times and sometimes I am still left scratching my literature degree head. I also got a Gregory Maguire vibe, in that there was a real mix of our world and another, of the modern day and not so modern. Sometimes that idea annoys me but I liked this, because it made anything seem possible.
To give you a brief outline, Meridia was raised in a family where the great love between her parents grew inexplicably cold. Her mother cooks to forget and every day her father disappears into town, shrouded in a mist that envelopes the house. When she meets Daniel, her one true love, she is glad to escape into a family that is full of life. However this new family is not as it seems, with her mother-in-law Eva spreading lies and bending those around her to her will.
Eva is an antagonist of Sue Sylvester proportions. I would bet that if I were wearing a monitor you would see my blood pressure go up – every time she appears you want to smack her. However, Meridia is a more that capable adversary to Eva – beautiful, wily, honest and well loved. It was heart-wrenching when Eva meddled in her family. I feel like I am not explaining this very well – this is not just a family drama or chick lit – it is a well written saga with beautiful imagery, magic, symbolism, romance, horror, ghosts, revenge and mystery. Read it!
PS: My next review….I nearly couldn’t get through the second chapter of this book. What book is it and how will it fare?
Hey there, my daughter let me know about your blog a few days ago, and I absolutely love it. I’ll be back! Thank you!