Summary
Set against the first moon landing in 1969, Rennie King’s life isn’t at all what she expected it to be. Reeling from the loss of her newborn, she’s desperate for the support of her husband, but instead of providing comfort, he’s becoming increasingly angry – often turning that anger on her.
When a glowing bee lands beside her, Rennie senses she needs to check on her beloved beekeeper uncle. The bee stirs long-forgotten memories of a childhood spent close to nature – a connectio she lost as she grew up. As the summer progresses, she finds both the bees and her uncle advising and encouraging her. While healing from her loss, she gains the courage to break free from her husband and build a happy life for herself.
My Review
I’ve realised I’m going through a magical realism phase and I’m loving it. Bees in June is an utterly charming novel, it’s bursting with hope and optimism (I think the reason why I enjoyed it so much) even though it deals with some pretty dark themes. The author, Elizabeth Bass Parman, has done a fantastic job of balancing out the darker and lighter sides of Rennie’s story which made the novel feel very real.
When we meet the protagonist, Rennie, at the start of the novel, she’s grieving the death of her newborn son, Gabriel, and having to deal with her husband, Tiny, who’s becoming increasingly more distant and less sympathetic to her emotions and experience. As far as he’s concerned, she should just get over it. At this point in the story, Rennie comes across as timid, nervous, and totally lacking confidence – completely understandable as we soon learn that her husband’s cocky and domineering personality has had a massive impact on her as a person. She seems to live in awe of Tiny’s reputation as the star baseball player and the thing that defines her is her role as his wife. Their whole relationship dynamic and the way Rennie thinks of herself are made clear fairly early on in the novel – she’s always been considered an outsider in their small Tenessee town and Tiny used this to further make Rennie feel as though she wasn’t enough.
After an unsuccessful attempt at making the major leagues when they graduate high school, Rennie and Tiny move back to Spark, Tenessee, where Rennie’s Uncle Dixon still lives on his tobacco farm and tends his bees. Rennie’s story starts off full of grief and despair, lightened only by the relationships she has with her Uncle Dixon and her cousin, May Dean. The love, warmth and affection that you feel between all three characters is heart-warming, you’re under no doubt that Rennie has a solid support system if / when she ever needs to rely on it.
Bees in June, for me, is very much a story of hope, of possibility and Rennie’s inner strength. Rennie’s development as a character starts fairly early on in the novel – I think, in part, aided by her Uncle and cousin’s unwavering belief in her – after she takes a job cooking at the local diner. The diner’s owner also plays a pivotal role in Rennie’s development, sharing her own story of an abusive marriage and giving Rennie permission to want something better for herself. I felt like the tragedy of losing Gabriel, along with various interactions she has with other characters, gave Rennie the opportunity to reflect a little on her life and really think about whether the choices that were forced on her as a teenager – Tiny seemed to ambush her with his proposal and she couldn’t really say “no” – are still the right choices for her as a woman.
Rennie is a very self-aware character, probably due to being bullied as a child, and I admire that she acknowledges and accepts that she’s different from those around her. This is not an easy thing to do when the whole world seems to be punishing you for being different. I also respect that Rennie has the courage to get herself out of the situation at home with her husband as things begin to take a turn for the worst. In comparison to other books I’ve read that deal with spousal abuse, it doesn’t take long for Rennie to objectively look at her situation and make the decision to change her life.
The bees play a big role in Bees in June and the chapters from the bees’ POV add a whimsical touch to the story. The bees are Rennie’s guardians and guides, and we learn that her late Aunt Eugenie had a similar relationship with the bees. They’re there to keep Rennie sae and give her a nudge in the right direction when she needs it – although we learn from their hive-mind monologue that they aren’t allowed to interfere in human business too much. I’ve read other reviews and people weren’t too keen on the bees’ chapters but I quite like them as they had a magical feel, you felt like “the universe” was sharing some of its secrets with you. I also think these chapters adding a romantic touch to the story, emphasising the connection between humans and the natural world.
I’ll not share too many spoilers but once Rennie starts to take control of her life and make decisions soley for herself, she does get her happy ending – romance included. Bees in June deals with difficult themes around death, abuse, divorce, and grief, but these themes come with a big dollop of hope and joy. If you can make it through the darker parts of Rennie’s story, you’ll finish the book on a happy note.
I’d like to thank the author, Elizabeth Bass Parman, Katelynn Dreyer at Kaye Publicity, and Literary Quicksand for providing me with a copy of Bees in June in return for my review.
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