The Music of Bees

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussion of mental illness and physical disability.

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. The novel intertwines the journeys of three different characters: Alice, a widow who works as a beekeeper; Jake, a teen who experiences depression stemming from paralysis due to a spinal injury; and Harry, who was previously incarcerated. Whose story resonated with you most deeply and why?

2. The Music of Bees balances serious topics like disability, mental health, and environmental activism with moments of hope and beauty. How did you feel about this balance, and did you find the novel’s ultimately optimistic tone satisfying?

3. The novel frequently uses beekeeping as both a practical activity and a metaphor for human relationships. Did this aspect enhance your reading experience? How does it compare to nature metaphors in other novels, such as Barbara Kingsolver’s Flight Behavior, which uses butterflies to explore environmental and personal themes?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Each character in the novel struggles with isolation—Alice following her husband’s death, Jake after his accident, and Harry due to his social anxiety.