Book Review: "Mad Honey" By Jodi Picoult & Jennifer Finney Boylan

 

There's a reason this was selected as Goodread's Choice Award nominee for best fiction 2022!

Jodi Picoult may have been a copauthor with Jennifer Finney Boylan doing the leg work but that doesn't mean you can not give her any credit here.

I love how this began with Olivia (single mom x 12 yrs) raising her son Asher after an abusive relationship ends with his dad Branden.

The fact that their son Asher is facing murder charges for the death of his girlfriend Lily is truly a shocker or is it being his dad was abusive?

Mad Honey brings many different topics to the table and some have criticized this hodge-podge of discussions but they're important to discuss and no greater time than NOW!

Abuse is not something to take lightly. As a surivor myself I wish we had more authors willing to work together to address not only domestic violence but single parenting, LGBTQ/Transgender issues, and bullying to name just a few.

I just had a total hysterectomy myself this past June ergo the partial reasoning for my departure from Goodreads/Netgalley all last year. My shock at uncovering the truth about Lily not having a uterus/ovaries was something I thought I could relate with until the plot twist entered the segway.

It was at that moment that I realized this is going to get damn good in a hurry because you could see the 'writing on the wall' sort of speak. You knew that this was a hot topic area and that many trans are losing their rights, their love interest, their lives simply for being different. I suppose it was a hot topic because my Zumba instructor's daughter was trans. I watched her grow up and transition to a man around 17-18 yo just like in this book. It was something I've never experienced before until watching her daughter and the pain in her face is still evident today.

That wayward feeling of never quite belonging, not knowing who or what you are, having to feel different among your peers, and having to defend yourself from those who find it easy to throw shade.

Not only is this book raising light to such important topics but it addresses the bees. Sadly, our bee population is dwindling. We have many bee hive keepers in my area & I'm thrilled to see this in the book .
As a few other readers pointed out the writings are short. The sentences are easily structured and precise. It reads much like a James Patterson novel so don't be fooled by having over 400 pages to go through as it's quick and enjoyable.

As someone who also was a public defender intern it's with great pride that I enjoyed reading the court hearing notes, the trial selection, the verdict, and everything in between from in defending this young man's life with a few tricks up their sleave involving a blood disorder.

Those who may or may not know me might recall the high number of medical issues that I suffer from and one is in having microcytic hypochromic anemia with petechia as mentioned in this book. I was never told I had TTP but I do have blood clotting issues and currently suffer from inflammation/arthritis in my R hand and back. It's so bad that I had paraysis in both legs in Dec '21 so again, I could relate to this book on a multitude of issues.

The question about how Lily died upon being found at the bottom of the stairs was up for debate alongside the killer's motive but in the end that truth won out.

I won't give the ending away but suffice to say it's a shocker that wasn't easily predicted -at least not for me.
What I can say is to never be afraid to go out of your comfort zone and read a book with an interesting premise/preview. You might just be shocked to uncover yourself learning something new in the process that you might not have understood fully.

My kids are older in college and both are dating age with significant others in their lives. It's not to far fetched as a single parent to say I always worry for both my son and my two girls in this crazy world.
Taking a break sometimes is a good thing to stop and smell the roses.

That ending with the confession & the bee conotation for moving forward was splendid. Reminds me of a peace offering & Lord knows we need more of that these days.

Please don't forget to support public libraries. Thank you to Osterhout Free Library for this hardcover edition.