The Bee Sting A Novel

Paul Murray2023
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From the author of Skippy Dies, an irresistibly funny, wise , and thought-provoking tour de force about family, fortune, and the struggle to be a good person when the world is falling apart The Barnes family is in trouble. Dickie’s once-lucrative car business is going under—but rather than face the music, he’s spending his days in the woods, building an apocalypse-proof bunker with a renegade handyman. His wife Imelda is selling off her jewelry on eBay, while their teenage daughter Cass, formerly top of her class, seems determined to binge-drink her way through her final exams. And twelve-year-old PJ is putting the final touches to his grand plan to run away from home. Where did it all go wrong? A patch of ice on the tarmac, a casual favor to a charming stranger, a bee caught beneath a bridal veil—can a single moment of bad luck change the direction of a life? And if the story has already been written—is there still time to find a happy ending?

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Photo of Sarah Wilson
Sarah WilsonMay 26, 2025
5 stars
Remarkable
Fascinating
Compelling
Creative
Artistic

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