It's Christmas Eve in Scotland: 15-year-old Marnie and her 12-year-old sister, Nelly, have just finished burying their parents in the back garden, and they have no one to turn to but the kindly old sex offender who lives next door. Sound familiar? Didn't think so.
Lisa O'Donnell's wildly original debut The Death of Bees examines the intricacies of betrayal and loyalty within one family. Marnie and Nelly are used to a life of abuse and neglect, though only they know the fact and manner of their parents' deaths. Marnie fears they will be separated and put into foster care if the authorities learn their parents are dead. Desperate for food and adult guidance, the girls take shelter with their elderly neighbor Lennie, a gay man who became a registered sex offender when he was caught soliciting sex from a boy he didn't realize was underage. Lonely Lennie gladly plays along, cooking them meals, accompanying aspiring violinist Nelly on the piano, even pretending to be their uncle for the benefit of school administrators.
Unfortunately, their fragile idyll cannot last. Since neither girl expects anyone to miss their lowlife parents, they're surprised when their estranged grandfather comes to town to make amends--and dismayed when he turns out to be the polar opposite of fatherly Lennie. Part coming-of-age tale, part seedy urban drama, and part testament to the sibling bond, this darkly introspective and clever novel juxtaposes sisters who shield themselves from a harsh life in very different ways. O'Donnell's debut is a gritty but redemptive take on family and the price of secrets. --Jaclyn Fulwood, youth services manager, Latah County Library District; blogger at Infinite Reads