By Kaylie Seed
Content warning: rape, sexual assault, animal violence, sexual abuse of children, miscarriage
Part literary fiction and part thriller, Annie Lampman’s Sins of the Bees follows arborist and bonsai enthusiast Silva on her journey to reconnect with her estranged grandmother Isabelle. On the path to find her grandmother, Silva ends up helping out a beekeeper named Nick at his lodge–which just so happens to be near Almost Paradise, a religious, anti-government cult that is preparing for doomsday. Silva knows that her grandmother is part of Almost Paradise and wants to free her from it. While Silva plans to locate Isabelle, tensions begin to rise at Almost Paradise, which is leading up to an all-out war situation. At the same time, the reader gets a glimpse into Almost Paradise through letters from Isabelle to her late husband Eamon as well as descriptions of paintings that she had to complete while in Almost Paradise.
Lampman focuses a lot on Silva and her relationship with Nick but it would’ve been nice to see even more about the cult that is housed not too far from them and the impact that they have had for generations. Sins of the Bees could’ve easily been two different novels: one that focuses on Isabelle and her escape from the cult and then a different novel focusing on Silva and her search for Isabelle. A lot was going on, and while all of it was quite interesting, the reader may find themselves having to go back and reread sections for clarity. While Sins of the Bees was an entertaining read, it felt rushed, and yet at the same time too long. I would recommend that readers take their time with this one so that they don’t become confused with the multiple plots.
Thank you, Simon & Schuster Canada for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review!