Description
SHORTLISTED FOR THE AN POST IRISH BOOK AWARD What would you do if you lost someone the world never knew was yours? For three years, Ana has been consumed by an affair with Connor, a client at her law firm. Their love has been consigned to hotel rooms and dark corners of pubs, keeping their relationship hidden from the world. So the morning that Ana's company receives a call to say that Connor is dead, her secret grief has nowhere to go. Desperate for an outlet, Ana seeks out the shadowy figure who has always stood just beyond her reach - Connor's wife Rebecca... 'Utterly gripping' RODDY DOYLE 'A triumph - crackling with psychological and sexual ambiguity' JULIE MYERSON, OBSERVER 'This book is just sublime... I loved every page' CAITRIONA BALFE 'Unmissable ... Incredible' STYLIST 'Amazing ... I read it in one sitting, completely swept up in Ana's fragmented narrative' EMMA HEALEY 'Dark, riveting, powerful' ELIZABETH DAY
What happens when you lose something the world never knew was yours? A shattering and compulsive novel about transgression and desire, secrecy and loss
About the Author
Sarah Crossan has lived in Dublin, London and New York, and now lives in Hertfordshire. She graduated with a degree in Philosophy and Literature before training as an English and drama teacher at the University of Cambridge. Crossan is the current Laureate na nOg (Ireland's Children's Literature Laureate). Here is the Beehive is her first novel for adults. sarahcrossan.com @SarahCrossan
Reviews
Amazing ... I absolutely love the form, which breathes new life into a familiar story making it both more elegant and more brutal. I read it in one sitting, completely swept up in Ana's fragmented narrative -- EMMA HEALEY
My god, it's stunning ... Sarah is such a magnificent writer -- CECELIA AHERN
An evocative portrait of marriage and adultery, Crossan's adult fiction debut explores the singular agony of losing someone the world can never know was yours' -- WATERSTONES, Best Books of 2020: Debut Fiction
A gutsy, modern, deeply entertaining and, at times, faintly subversive-feeling piece of work. It's also entirely and likably original in its execution, quite unlike anything I've read before ... the writing is so bright and alive and the novel is a triumph - crackling with psychological and sexual ambiguity -- JULIE MYERSON * OBSERVER *
Brilliant ... An adult tale of love, betrayal and loss * GUARDIAN, Biggest Books of the Autumn *
Excellent ... An eviscerating account of modern marriage * INDEPENDENT.CO.UK *
Sex, work and motherhood all come under the microscope in this vivid portrait of the agony of being "the other woman" * DAILY MAIL *
This lyrical account of an adulterous affair and its brutal aftermath is all the more effective and affecting for the spare, sparse style and I expect it to win as many awards as Sarah Crossan's YA fiction has done * RED *
A riveting tale of infidelity and obsession, told in verse form. Perfect for the staycation sunlounger -- ELIZABETH DAY * YOU *
Composed in free verse, psychologically acute and laced with complicated emotions, this is a gripping, gorgeously written exploration of what it means to be in an obsessive, destructive relationship * S MAGAZINE *
A gripping, voyeuristic read that gallops along * IRISH TIMES *
I absolutely gobbled it up: dark, riveting, powerful ... Delivers on a whole new level -- ELIZABETH DAY
A stunner * GOOD HOUSEKEEPING *
Raw, emotional and wistful * WOMAN & HOME *
I read this stunning book standing up in two hours. An eviscerating take on marriage and adultery -- ERIN KELLY
A beautifully crafted sucker punch of a read. Sarah Crossan has always had an exquisite way with words and in this she uses poetic prose to craft an honest and oftentimes gritty exploration of two intertwined marriages, slowly unravelling. Painfully believable, passionate and occasionally heartbreaking, Here is the Beehive provides further proof that Sarah Crossan is an infinitely gifted writer. We're lucky to have her -- JAN CARSON
We can't recommend this enough * TAKE A BREAK *
A searing portrait of addictive love and grief and the devastation human beings can wreak on each other ... It is an addictive read, painful, unsettling, full of uncomfortable truths, yet the work itself resounds with its own unique bleak beauty -- LISA HARDING
Devastatingly honest, heartbreaking and tender ... This is the most extraordinary novel I have read in years in form, ambition and scope - an incredible achievement and an instant classic. I will read it again and again -- JANE CASEY
Here is the Beehive is an unflinching take on the destructive power of obsessive love. It is also a highly original study of the grief that dare not speak its name - the grief of the other woman -- CHRISTINE DWYER HICKEY
Raw and emotional, it reminds us what it is to be human and imperfect * WOMAN'S WAY *
I couldn't put it down. I just loved it. The prose is clean yet rich, her dialogue ear-perfect -- LOUISE KENNEDY
How does she get so much emotion into so few words? Sarah Crossan is a miracle worker ... Utterly meaningful, original and accomplished -- SINEAD CROWLEY
This devastating novel looks at how secrecy and desire can compel us to do the unthinkable, and the shattering pain of hidden heartache * IRISH COUNTRY MAGAZINE *
PRAISE FOR SARAH CROSSAN: 'One of our most original writers. Sarah has almost created an entirely new form of writing in her novels that is hers and hers alone -- JOHN BOYNE
Compelling and beautifully wrought * SUNDAY TIMES *
The princess of pacing ... Crossan always finds humour and humanity in the darkness; it's impossible not to read it in a single gulp * THE TIMES *
Truly remarkable * IRISH TIMES *
There are familiar flavours and notes and moments of powerful sweetness, but she complicates them with such power and subtlety, in a way that doesn't alienate the reader. The tang of fire is in there, always, leaving a unique aftertaste. You wouldn't mistake it for any other writer, and you won't soon forget it -- DEIRDRE SULLIVAN
Utterly sublime -- CECELIA AHERN
An intense and intimate story * IRISH EXAMINER *
Replete with humour, love, heartbreak and jealousy. The story draws on universal experiences with an admirable honesty about how difficult relationships can be * RTE GUIDE *
Infuriating, barbed and bleakly funny ... a distorted love poem as well as the story of a woman finally confronting herself * IRISH INDEPENDENT *
Book Information
ISBN 9781526619495
Author Sarah Crossan
Format Hardback
Page Count 288
Imprint Bloomsbury Circus
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Weight(grams) 416g
What happens when you lose something the world never knew was yours? A shattering and compulsive novel about transgression and desire, secrecy and loss
About the Author
Sarah Crossan has lived in Dublin, London and New York, and now lives in Hertfordshire. She graduated with a degree in Philosophy and Literature before training as an English and drama teacher at the University of Cambridge. Crossan is the current Laureate na nOg (Ireland's Children's Literature Laureate). Here is the Beehive is her first novel for adults. sarahcrossan.com @SarahCrossan
Reviews
Amazing ... I absolutely love the form, which breathes new life into a familiar story making it both more elegant and more brutal. I read it in one sitting, completely swept up in Ana's fragmented narrative -- EMMA HEALEY
My god, it's stunning ... Sarah is such a magnificent writer -- CECELIA AHERN
An evocative portrait of marriage and adultery, Crossan's adult fiction debut explores the singular agony of losing someone the world can never know was yours' -- WATERSTONES, Best Books of 2020: Debut Fiction
A gutsy, modern, deeply entertaining and, at times, faintly subversive-feeling piece of work. It's also entirely and likably original in its execution, quite unlike anything I've read before ... the writing is so bright and alive and the novel is a triumph - crackling with psychological and sexual ambiguity -- JULIE MYERSON * OBSERVER *
Brilliant ... An adult tale of love, betrayal and loss * GUARDIAN, Biggest Books of the Autumn *
Excellent ... An eviscerating account of modern marriage * INDEPENDENT.CO.UK *
Sex, work and motherhood all come under the microscope in this vivid portrait of the agony of being "the other woman" * DAILY MAIL *
This lyrical account of an adulterous affair and its brutal aftermath is all the more effective and affecting for the spare, sparse style and I expect it to win as many awards as Sarah Crossan's YA fiction has done * RED *
A riveting tale of infidelity and obsession, told in verse form. Perfect for the staycation sunlounger -- ELIZABETH DAY * YOU *
Composed in free verse, psychologically acute and laced with complicated emotions, this is a gripping, gorgeously written exploration of what it means to be in an obsessive, destructive relationship * S MAGAZINE *
A gripping, voyeuristic read that gallops along * IRISH TIMES *
I absolutely gobbled it up: dark, riveting, powerful ... Delivers on a whole new level -- ELIZABETH DAY
A stunner * GOOD HOUSEKEEPING *
Raw, emotional and wistful * WOMAN & HOME *
I read this stunning book standing up in two hours. An eviscerating take on marriage and adultery -- ERIN KELLY
A beautifully crafted sucker punch of a read. Sarah Crossan has always had an exquisite way with words and in this she uses poetic prose to craft an honest and oftentimes gritty exploration of two intertwined marriages, slowly unravelling. Painfully believable, passionate and occasionally heartbreaking, Here is the Beehive provides further proof that Sarah Crossan is an infinitely gifted writer. We're lucky to have her -- JAN CARSON
We can't recommend this enough * TAKE A BREAK *
A searing portrait of addictive love and grief and the devastation human beings can wreak on each other ... It is an addictive read, painful, unsettling, full of uncomfortable truths, yet the work itself resounds with its own unique bleak beauty -- LISA HARDING
Devastatingly honest, heartbreaking and tender ... This is the most extraordinary novel I have read in years in form, ambition and scope - an incredible achievement and an instant classic. I will read it again and again -- JANE CASEY
Here is the Beehive is an unflinching take on the destructive power of obsessive love. It is also a highly original study of the grief that dare not speak its name - the grief of the other woman -- CHRISTINE DWYER HICKEY
Raw and emotional, it reminds us what it is to be human and imperfect * WOMAN'S WAY *
I couldn't put it down. I just loved it. The prose is clean yet rich, her dialogue ear-perfect -- LOUISE KENNEDY
How does she get so much emotion into so few words? Sarah Crossan is a miracle worker ... Utterly meaningful, original and accomplished -- SINEAD CROWLEY
This devastating novel looks at how secrecy and desire can compel us to do the unthinkable, and the shattering pain of hidden heartache * IRISH COUNTRY MAGAZINE *
PRAISE FOR SARAH CROSSAN: 'One of our most original writers. Sarah has almost created an entirely new form of writing in her novels that is hers and hers alone -- JOHN BOYNE
Compelling and beautifully wrought * SUNDAY TIMES *
The princess of pacing ... Crossan always finds humour and humanity in the darkness; it's impossible not to read it in a single gulp * THE TIMES *
Truly remarkable * IRISH TIMES *
There are familiar flavours and notes and moments of powerful sweetness, but she complicates them with such power and subtlety, in a way that doesn't alienate the reader. The tang of fire is in there, always, leaving a unique aftertaste. You wouldn't mistake it for any other writer, and you won't soon forget it -- DEIRDRE SULLIVAN
Utterly sublime -- CECELIA AHERN
An intense and intimate story * IRISH EXAMINER *
Replete with humour, love, heartbreak and jealousy. The story draws on universal experiences with an admirable honesty about how difficult relationships can be * RTE GUIDE *
Infuriating, barbed and bleakly funny ... a distorted love poem as well as the story of a woman finally confronting herself * IRISH INDEPENDENT *
Book Information
ISBN 9781526619495
Author Sarah Crossan
Format Hardback
Page Count 288
Imprint Bloomsbury Circus
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Weight(grams) 416g
