Reviewed by Valerie

TITLE: The Bees and Other Wild Things

SERIES: A Surplus of Light sequel

AUTHOR: Chase Connor

PUBLISHER: The Lion Fish Press

LENGTH: 139 pages

RELEASE DATE:  October 21, 2022

BLURB:

Places can be haunted, but so can people. It’s not just the woods that are imbued with the memory of two boys and the five summers they spent there.

Two boys stand on a creek bed at the end of one chapter of life and the beginning of another. Two boys with no idea how to begin. An unlikely friendship is forged, boundaries are crossed, absolutes are tested…and life finds a way. Over the course of the most difficult season, two boys learn that life, and friendship, are what you make of them.

REVIEW:

The Bees and Other Wild Things is a wonderful sequel to the sublime A Surplus of Light (which should be read first to provide context). Side characters in that book – Carson, a bully, and Kevin, his victim – are the leading men this time around. I’m not usually a fan of bully/victim themes but it works for me here, partly because I trust author Chase Connor not to make it ridiculously unrealistic. He unveils Carson’s backstory, turning a reviled character into a wholly sympathetic one. He shows us the tragedy of Carson’s life and also why Kevin is able to forgive him. It seems Carson was a victim of his own life’s tragic circumstances. Kevin lives with his parents who regard him as a waste of space and the air he breathes. He tries to befriend Carson, who can’t stand Kevin being kind to him. Carson doesn’t think he – poor white trash and former bully – deserves it.

Like in its predecessor, the woods and the creek in Podunk, Texas, serve as the nexus for much of Carson and Kevin’s interaction. A severe drought has dried up the creek, though, so the town’s kids aren’t spending their summers there. As the creek runs dry, with it the animals and birds that depend on it disappear; the earth feels dead. Kevin frequently follows surly Carson through the deserted woods and eventually finds himself sitting on the parched earth on the opposite side of the creek bed from the man he wants to know better. Carson:

“Seconds ticked by as I did my best to figure out how to be a person again. But the words wouldn’t come. Finally, Kevin turned away from the creek and began to walk back towards the woods. I wanted to shout at him to not leave me out there by myself. To stay. But all I could do was turn and watch him as he walked towards the trees.”

There aren’t many side characters here – the book doesn’t need them – but one who shines is grocery store owner, Wallace Lee, a bit of an outsider himself. He’s a good friend to Kevin, and the eponymous bees and hives in his yard provide worthy metaphors.

I don’t always love Connor’s endings; often, they don’t follow the standard romance HEA formula. But his books are never formulaic, which is a great thing. I know to expect creativity and distinctiveness in his plot development and characterization – it’s what makes me adore his writing so much. He’s a must-read author for me because I always know I’m going to get something fresh and poignant. I’m challenged to accept his sometimes bittersweet endings. In some ways, the ending of The Bees and Other Wild Things is heartwarming; in other ways, I would’ve liked more in a certain direction. But I appreciate that Connor stays true to himself in giving his readers a love story that doesn’t conform to the norms of the genre. Highly recommended for those who have read A Surplus of Light, which ranks high on my list of all-time favorites.

RATING: 

BUY LINK:

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