Of Bees and Mist

I’m not going to lie, I bought this book because I thought the cover was pretty. Sometimes, it’s just that simple. The cover made the book seem so magical and old-fashioned, the perfect companion for hot and rainy summer evenings and that’s exactly what it turned out to be.

Of Bees and Mist is the debut novel of Erick Setiawan, an Indonesian author who moved to the United States with his family at sixteen. Although he loved literature, he ended up studying computer sciences to make sure he’d never have to talk in class. He’s that shy. A year after he started working as a software engineer, he realized his heart wasn’t in it and gave up everything for his love of the written word which resulted in the oddly titled Of Bees and Mist.

It’s a multi-layered novel about three generations of women, jealousy, deception, hope and triumph. What could have been a painfully predictable Danielle Steel saga is turned upside down by a pinch of magic realism. I’m not a fan of the genre because it’s usually chaotic, frustrating and occasionally bewildering but Setiawan has found the perfect balance and has created a richly atmospheric and memorable piece of fiction that feels like a fairytale but clearly isn’t.

This bewitching and sweeping modern fantasy of two rival families predominantly deals with Meridia whose father vanishes daily in clouds of mist while her mother simply forgets about her. So when her true love Daniel proposes, it’s her ticket out of the madness. Or so it seems. Behind the façade of treacherous bees that is her new home, she will uncover shocking secrets and unfathomable mysteries that will take her years to unravel and in doing so, she will change the fates of all those who surround her. Ok, it sounds a bit corny but it’s a modern fable / gothic novel / love story so what did you expect?

The novel is set in an old-fashioned (Mediterranean ?) town, where there are no cars or telephones but there is a cinema and life revolves around the marketplace adding to the timeless quality which is also reminiscent of the magic realism of masters such as Marquez or Allende. Yet contrary to most fairy tales, there are no women who need to be saved here, it’s actually the women who do most of the saving and ass-kicking creating a modern twist to a novel that deals with an age old issue, relationships between lovers, parents, siblings and friends.

Of Bees and Mist is an intoxicating domestic drama (never thought I’d use those words together) filled with passion, ghosts, evil mother-in-laws and delightfully written prose.