The Honey Bus by Meredith May

@bestbookforward had mentioned The Honey Bus in one of her IG videos and not only was I hooked by the cover, I was curious about the topic of this memoir.

Meredith uses these pages to tell us about her childhood and her relationship with bees. With complicated family dynamics, her grandpa and the bees become her confidants and provide her with the refuge she craves from her turbulent relationship with her mum.

The more time she spends with the bees, the more she learns of their roles and their family dynamics; and whilst she’s not experiencing it at home, she sees the stability, support and strength that a family should have. Her grandpa uses the bees as a medium, to discuss family issues, allowing Meredith to understand and cope with her mum.

After finishing this memoir, it’s fair to say I clearly knew very little about honey bees before I started it!

I was absolutely fascinated by how these bees ‘work a hive’; it’s a very sophisticated mini-metropolis with every bee having a role to play in their society, their dedication to everything they do is both enthralling to watch and incredibly humbling. We could learn a lot from bees.

This is a beautiful, moving and powerful read that will make any reader reflect on themselves and the relationships surrounding them. It’ll make you feel grateful for the stability you may have overlooked, and remind you to pay attention to those chores/jobs that people around you do, without you even appreciating how it keeps your home/your work/your life moving smoothly.

But the most important message is to understand how much we need bees, which is starting to be well heard thanks to the campaigns, however I’ve never before appreciated the severity and the detailed reasons of why the bees are in decline.

I adore books like this, there is nothing more satisfying than reading and learning at the same time. My heart grew from reading of Meredith’s childhood, and my brain stored even more compelling facts.

The Honey Bus is out now in hardback and eBook versions from HQ.

Until next time, Chloé x