Name: The Honey Farm
ISBN: 9781631494345

Harriet Alida Lye

Lily King meets Patricia Highsmith in this slyly seductive debut set on an eerily beautiful farm teeming with secrets.

The Honey Farm

Hannah Yang

unlike anything else i've ever read. atmospheric, immersive, idyllic, and straightforward, yet harriet alida lye's beautiful storytelling skillfully maintains a constant undercurrent of tension and unease. the book is lyrical, yet not prose-y in the flamboyant way (which i also love, but alida lye's writing here feels just right) -- it feels simple, intentional. this book is grounded in silvia's exploration of her own identity as she questions the religion she has grown up with, the path and art she hopes to create, as well as more existential questions (what drives us? what do things mean; why do things happen the way they do? is there a why or are some things just the way they are?). many people seem to take issue with the 'unfinished' ending, but i can't imagine this book satisfactorily ending in any other way. a breath of fresh, honey-scented air.

Chelsey

⭐️ 4.5/5 

the honey farm is a novel about a bee farm that puts out an ad for an “artist’s camp”. in exchange for working on the farm, artists can have the space to work on their art for a summer. the story mostly follows silvia and ibrahim, one a “writer” and one a painter. silvia comes from a strict christian upbringing, ibrahim from a loving father and home. the story follows the two as they orbit around cynthia, the bee farm owner. 

this book was glorious. the prose is beautiful, the imagery potent, the characters frustrating at times yet deliciously painted on the page. if you don’t like novels that explore subjects (religion, art, love) in an abstract and not totally satisfying way, you probably won’t like this one. 

overall i really enjoyed it. i thought the author kept the atmosphere heady and smothering for most of the book. as i mentioned, the writing was an absolute treat to read. it toes the line between thoughtful and pretentious, so beware if you tend to eye roll at ponderings in text. 

if you liked this one, you’d probably really enjoy bitter orange by claire fuller, which is one of my favorite books. 

why was this not a 5 star for me? i found the ending a bit unsatisfying. i would’ve liked a little bit more, it was just lacking the “umph”.

The Honey Farm

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