[PREORDER] The Bee Sting: A Novel
This is a preorder book, available to order from 25 June to 10 July. Estimated arrival is 2–4 weeks after the preorder period ends (it may arrive sooner!).
Have you ever wondered when one unlucky moment can change everything that follows?
The Bee Sting introduces us to the Barnes family as they stumble through their own private apocalypses. Dickie’s car business is going under, his wife Imelda is pawning her treasures, their daughter Cass is losing herself in school and drink, and twelve-year-old PJ is wondering if it’s time to run away for good.
But their troubles reach further back than the present crisis. Paul Murray’s big-hearted, darkly funny novel follows each of them across decades and decisions, showing us how one fateful day, a bee sting at a wedding, a terrible crash, a boy learning too soon what it means to be a man, can ripple into a lifetime of consequences. Rich, wise, and astonishingly humane, this is a story about family, fate, and whether anyone can truly outrun the past.
📗 In The Mood For…
Challenging My Views
A sprawling, tragicomic novel that digs into the weight of history and personal choice.
✅ Raises big questions about goodness, responsibility, and resilience
✅ Urges readers to reflect on how small moments shape entire lives
Feeling Inspired
A vivid, heartbreaking, and hopeful saga about finding meaning even as the world crumbles.
✅ Balances sharp humor with tender insight into human hearts
✅ Reminds readers that even messy lives can hold profound grace
📘 Stories About…
The Weight of Choices
Each chapter reveals decisions that echo across generations.
✅ Examines how one day can shift the course of a life forever
✅ Suggests that empathy and accountability can help us begin again
Family & Generations
A rich, funny, painful portrait of a family at the edge of change.
✅ Follows the tangled bonds between parents and children across decades
✅ Treats family as both a source of harm and a place of hope