Huck redux...

The Secret Life of Bees
by Sue Monk Kidd

Lily is fourteen and a mess. She lives on a peach farm in South Carolina with her tyrant father, who has convinced her that she accidentally shot and killed her mother ten years before. The only person who loves her is the housekeeper, Rosaleen. The day after Lyndon Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act, Rosaleen decides to go to town and register to vote. Instead, she is beaten, arrested, thrown into jail and beaten some more. Lily busts her out and they flee.

The only artifacts that Lily has left of her mother are a photograph, some gloves and a curious black Madonna image with "Tiburon, South Carolina" stamped on the back. So she decides to go to Tiburon and see if she can find out anything about her mother. She and Rosaleen arrive at the headquarters of "Black Madonna Honey," which is run by three sisters, August, May and June Boatwright. The sisters take them in, putting Rosaleen to work in the kitchen, while Lily works with the bees to earn her keep.

The writing is beautifully transparent. The characters are remarkable. Is Lily, finally, the female Huck Finn?

For an interview with Sue Monk Kidd, go here


Sue Monk Kidd