Our Shared Shelf discussion

I'm coming to the end of the book and the one image that returns ocer and over again is the buzzing of the bees. She's not clear on how the bees came to be a part of her but they emerge feequently around events that invovle sexual feelings. What do you think they represent?

Part of what makes Thom a fascinating author is that she straight up admits that she is a liar. And the liars I know tend to put an ounce of truth in their lies to give them power. But they conflate it so you really don't ever know which part is true, which part is fantasy, and which part is the poor person trying to bare their soul to you anonymously- without judgement or worry.

So to me (view spoiler)[ I think something happened when she was young. One of her first stories is how the bees came into her, and it doesn't read like a simple coming of age / dawn of puberty moment. I think she writes it like it was an attack. (hide spoiler)]

I did not understand this metaphor either... felt like it was in an attempt to add depth of meaning but it felt awkward to me.

I agree with Pam. I am still in the beginning of the book, but the bees seem to symbolize an unease that she has. I feel like it can go so many different ways...anxiety, nervousness, discomfort in one's own skin, or actual bees. It seems like once she described needing to let the bees out and cutting her wrist to do that. So maybe the bees are a self-harm metaphor or a general metaphor for all types of feelings/emotions. The part where the bees first infiltrate her body left me thinking for a while. I was not sure if that scene was supposed to represent something else entirely. I also got the vibe that it described a sexual attack.

(also, how do I insert spoiler warnings? I am new. Thanks in advance!)

Hi, I was very intrigued by this metaphor from the beginning. The image of angry bees entering her and not leaving was very vivid for me. I finished the book last night (couldn't put it down) and looking back now, it seems like the bees represent some form of self loathing and pent up anger. She says her mother casually left the door open during her cigarette break and the bees entered the house to attack her. This makes me think that she was perhaps blaming her mother's thoughtless actions for this to some extent. I could be way off on this but this is how I was able to interpret it. It would be nice to hear from the author herself on this.

The metaphorical magical realism makes it difficult to interpret but, in the context of their later appearances, I read the bees as a reference to some sort of sexual assault.

Celtic wrote: "The metaphorical magical realism makes it difficult to interpret but, in the context of their later appearances, I read the bees as a reference to some sort of sexual assault."

So glad you said this. I thought of that also as a possibility. A sexual assault could definitely lead to years of self loathing and pent up anger.

When she first mentions the bees she writes that no matter how strong a girl is, there are some things that can't be fought. I agree that the bee attack represents a sexual assault, especially because the theme recurs throughout the book when the author describes her sexuality (like the first encounter with Ghost Friend, when she writes that the "dark black bees" reminded her of "what had happened" when Ghost friend touches her).

Pam wrote: "Part of what makes Thom a fascinating author is that she straight up admits that she is a liar. But they conflate it so you really don't ever know which part is true, which part is fantasy, and which part is the poor person trying to bare their soul to you anonymously- without judgement or worry.."

Sorry for jumping in so late in the day. Keeping up with reading lists is work in progress for me .'-/

I have been wanting to chip in about this book since I saw the announcement, knowing nothing about anything, precisely because what Pam has articulated so beautifully here. Unlike Pam, however, I struggled with how the word "liar" was employed to make the case. Confession, I read the book expecting not to enjoy it much - because of that word. Sure enough, I couldn't help but enjoy. The writing is charming, the story line is innovative, the saga(s) are eye-opening - it helped that I am eager to learn about trans-people and their paths. In short, I was glad to read it and have recommended ever since, and yet, I am still bothered by the ease this pesky little word - "liar" - was put to work. For all things magical and all magical things are required reading from a make-believe ounce of good will, yes, and to take reality at its grittiest is no fun, yes, and whatever takes to help us make it through the day, yes - but.

Look at the man occupying the White House. I don't even need to go there - a quick look at local affairs show it, people simply take it to heart that they can lie their way away. Just the thing that is literally destroying to world, one ad agency at a time.

I enjoyed the book very much, and yet, I can't help but wish writers of Kai Cheng Thom caliper will dig in their tool kit another way to conjure the power to reshape reality.