Bitter Honey
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Transworld Publishers Ltd
Published:19th Jun '25
Should be back in stock very soon
From the multi award-winning author of Drift, winner of the Welsh Book of the Year
'Extraordinary…this book will absolutely tug at your soul. One to re-read and treasure….glorious, heart-breaking, yet ultimately full of hope.' Liz Hyder, author of The Twelve
'A gentle and tender novel about the power of forgiveness and how humans might thrive when given the space to grow. Richly rewarding fiction.' Kirsty Capes, author of Careless and Girls
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‘A seed in the heart of an apple is an orchard invisible’ Old Welsh Proverb
Hannah has lived at Berllan Deg all her life, her husband came to live at the orchard when they got married. Tonight, she prepares for his funeral as he lies in the parlour. Over fifty years of marriage, a lifetime of memories dissipating in the impossibility of his stillness. He was a writer and a beekeeper who came to understand the world through the language of bees. He has left her eleven letters; the exact same number as there are frames in a bee’s nest. Each letter is an examination of an aspect of their marriage. The morning of the funeral, Sadie, Hannah’s estranged little sister comes back home for the service. As the letters unfold, they reveal a devastating secret that will make Hannah have to re-evaluate her whole life.
Bitter Honey is a novel which brings three very different women together into a broken Eden and examines how they rebuild it on their own terms.
A gentle and tender novel about the power of forgiveness and how humans might thrive when given the space to grow. Richly rewarding fiction. * Kirsty Capes, author of Careless and Girls *
This book is extraordinary. Full of love and loss, grief and kindness, exquisitely written, a book filled with literary treasures…this will absolutely tug at your soul. It’s not a long book but it’s a book to revel in and savour, one to re-read and treasure….glorious and heart-breaking and yet, ultimately full of hope. * Liz Hyder, author of The Twelve *
An assured, sensitively told tale…The real power of the story, however, is not in the cause, but its effect as, having finally been freed in their various ways from the constraints of traditional family models and expectations, all three women develop the strength and knowledge to shape their own desires and destinies. * Marie Claire *
A sensuous and tender tale of love, loss and secrets, Caryl Lewis’ Bitter Honey is a lyrical and captivating novel. The prose from Lewis is exquisite . . .This is one of those novels that you can devour in a day but lingers long in the memory. Astonishing and breathtaking, this is a book I’ll be pressing into as many hands as possible over the coming months: a perfect immersive read for summer. * Buzz Magazine *
ISBN: 9780857527899
Dimensions: 223mm x 141mm x 23mm
Weight: 346g
240 pages