Honeybee
Silvey, CraigDesperation brings fourteen-year-old Sam Watson to the wrong side of a safety rail of a motorway overpass, an act witnessed by Vic, an elderly widower dealing with his own despair. The unlikely bond that forms, and the friendship that develops allows both Vic and Sam to face up to their lives, especially Sam who has many challenges.
Compelling and thought-provoking, this Western Australian story exposes its vivid characters to petty crime, violence and drug taking through to gender conformity and mental health issues, all the while creating a poignant yet ultimately hopeful and satisfying coming-of-age story.
Pages
424
424
Year
2020
2020
Reviews
17-05-2023
100% positive response to this book. Strong interest in the topic and the characters, and thoughtful discussion about people we know who are handling these topics.
02-05-2023
All members of the group thought the book was well-written with good characterisation and thoughtfully described settings. There was a lively discussion on transgender issues, and experiences. The book was enjoyed by all.
20-03-2023
An animated discussion with differing viewpoints on the subject of how Craig Silvey dealt with the sensitive issue of transgender. We all learned facts about the journey that a young person has to travel through during this difficult transition.
28-02-2023
Most of the group thoroughly enjoyed this book. The characters were well drawn, and it was felt the book really described the difficulties for trans children. 3 or 4 of our group thought it wasn't particularly well-written and that the main character and storyline weren't particularly credible.
25-01-2023
Great discussion on people's experiences of people who struggled with their gender. Book well thought of and cleverly constructed. Great characterisation with contrasts in nature. Book notes well done but questions could have probed further.
21-11-2022
Compelling and confronting. Written with empathy and very well developed characters. Sad but hopeful. The content was outside the lifestyle of our group in general so it gave a real insight and understanding of transgender issues.
09-10-2022
One of the most thought provoking books weve read this year. We enjoyed the character portrayals and so many themes to discuss. Heartwarming and heartbreaking.
01-08-2022
We all loved this book!
18-07-2022
All who read this awesome book really enjoyed it and learnt new things. A real eyeopener and very well-written. Highly recommend.
29-06-2022
Everyone loved it. We have a member with a trans child - apparently this book is well regarded in the trans community.
08-06-2022
We all enjoyed this book. It gave insight into the challenges around gender.
17-11-2021
Those who read the book enjoyed it. It provoked quite a discussion on the difficulties those with gender issues experience. We found it a little difficult to get into, but once into the body of the story it was quite an emotional experience, confronting in places and sad. Recommended.
17-09-2021
Great thought-provoking read. Raw, honest and gritty. Prompted good discussion.
02-08-2021
"Gripping, insightful, thought provoking, heart maiming and heartbreaking". Extremely likeable main characters. We could see it as an amazing miniseries. Some unexpectedly delightful moments. Some thought some plot lines were slightly contrived.