Mad Honey: A Novel

A GREAT READ. A LOOK INSIDE THE WORLD OF GENDER CHANGES. I LEARNED A LOT ABOUT THE SUBJECT. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A GREAT BOOK EVEN WITHOUT THE CURSING. GREAT DISSERTATION FROM THE MD AT THE TRIAL WHO PERFORMED THE SURGERY AND WHAT IT MEANT.

This book came highly recommended by book club friends, and it is definitely a compelling story. I will be discussing spoilers so if you do not want to know, please do not read beyond this point. It was a very compelling story which dealt in a sensitive issue both with the question of domestic violence, its unknown and known effects on children, and transgender youth. I thought that all of these issues were dealt with in a realistic, emotional, and real way. As author Boylan is transgender, I felt like it was her chance to give transgender individuals a much-needed voice. Lily personified what so many transgender individuals who are not able to provide a mirror to their inner lives and struggles. I also appreciated how Boylan educated us that being transgender is much like anything else in life-each transgender individual is unique, do not all think the same way, and especially do not have the same journey. Another strength in this story is the real and raw exploration of domestic violence. Yes, it was difficult to read. However, I think that Picoult and Boylan did an excellent job of exploring the large questions about abuse, what makes and abuser, and most importantly, what happens to the children of abusers? I admire how Picoult and Boylan were able to bring to life all the complex emotions of a mother whose son has turned into what seems her worst nightmare. She wanted to protect her son, she doubted him, and she loved him so much that she would do anything to protect him. She had to ask herself very difficult questions and face the reality of bearing her abuser's son. I was drawn into the complexities of Olivia's emotions and felt like I completely understood them. The only flaw in the writing is that the story became a bit outrageous and sensationalistic at the end. It felt more like the unlikely end of a TV movie rather than what should have been the end to a story which could have played in any courtroom in the United States. I just felt like it could have finished a bit more realistically, because the rest of the story was so compelling. I highly recommend this story for so many reasons, you will be educated and will experience the full gamut of emotions of a mother with an impossible burden.

My apologies for this review being as lengthy as it is, but I just couldn’t find anyway to shorten it. 🙃 I was immediately captivated by the storyline and the characters as the plot began to unfurl from page 1, and onward. Having said that, I’m not surprised, considering that Picoult was a contributing writer for this book. No disrespect meant toward Boylan, I’m just simply not familiar with her writing. There is a huge amount of intensity, both good and bad, as well as contentment and certainty regarding the mother/son relationship, the other mothers, and Lily (one of the key characters) as well as the strong bad-ass females that are representing for our gender. (Hoo-gah!!) There is an undeniability, together with an apprehensiveness, as to what is eventually expected to unfold as told on the "jacket cover" description provided by the publisher/writer. This begins to build as the reader is submersed further into the narrative, and as the story moves around from the POV’s provided by two main characters of the story. You’ve previously been forewarned, and conscious of what is yet to come. Even if you care to have it delayed a bit longer, it’s one of those novels you irrefutably can not put down. It’s like watching a passenger train on the tracks, knowing it’s about to derail, and it’s evident there’s nothing you can do to stop it, yet you can’t turn away from the horror that’s about to unfold before your eyes. There is one major key genre that is curiously left out of any of the previews, but to have it included, would destroy what is to develop at a later stage. It would’ve been a HUGE spoiler. For that reason, it makes it even more difficult in writing this review. I honor the writers, and will not mention it here either. All I can say is to continue reading through, until the end to see why my mind was so completely blown! The ending alone regarding the responsibility of Lily’s death, is another mind stunner. I also want to mention, that while reading, I was very curious and hoped to be enlightened as to who wrote which sections of the book. Thank goodness I always read what the authors write in the the "Dear readers:" section, as will as anything else that follows. I unequivocally feel the need to include something Jennifer Finney Boylan states in her ending message/notes: "All of us have something in our hearts like a flower that cannot bloom because it is held in secret. The adventure of life can be to get that thing out of the darkness where it lies and let the sun shine on it. So it can go back inside your heart facing the right direction." WOW! Doesn’t it appear we all have that abysmal, cavernous secret buried so far down, it’ll never see the light of day again, if it were up to us? Imagine considering her outlook toward it instead? Just something to ponder at a later date, possibly… And I also feel the need to share something that Picoult wrote in her ending message/notes: "What would I like you to take away from this novel? Absolutely nothing. I’d like you to give—a chance, a thought, a damn. Like gender, difference is a construct. We are all flawed, complicated, wounded dreamers; we have more in common with one another than we don’t. Sometimes making the world a better place just involves creating space for the people who are already in it. —Jodi Picoult" Another WOW moment! I rarely give out 5 star ratings and have a system of 3 key qualifiers, one of which is: "Those that profoundly affected my whole being while reading, and left an intense deeply-rooted impression as well." This one is a 5 star rating for sure, and I significantly advocate, encourage, and recommend this as a Must Read Novel.

Originally purchased for my daughter, definitely not my typical novel but I needed some holiday reading. To my surprise I finished the book, and got educated along the way.

Another wonder from Jodi. Love them all. This was so informative.

Excelente

Echt spannende und dramatische Story

This must have been a challenging book to write considering the scope of topics and combining the work of the two authors. The story is told from the perspective of two of the characters Olivia, a beekeeper and Lily, a high school student. Their paths cross when Olivia's son Asher becomes Lily's first love and the lives of the two students and their families become intricately intertwined. The characters were very well written and provide a lot of insight into the troubled family dynamics. There were endless surprises, a lot of details about bee keeping (more that I ever wanted to know!) and a complex plot that book clubs would have an interesting time discussing.