Honeybee by Craig Silvey

Honeybee

by Craig Silvey

Allen & Unwin, 2020, [First PB Edition], ISBN 9781760877224, large C-Format paperback

Very Good Condition, a little edge and shelf wear, a little rubbing and bumping to edges and corners, previous owners inscription on front endpaper (see photographs)

“Late in the night, fourteen-year-old Sam Watson steps onto a quiet overpass, climbs over the rail and looks down at the road far below.
At the other end of the same bridge, an old man, Vic, smokes his last cigarette.
The two see each other across the void.  A fateful connection is made, and an unlikely friendship blooms.  Slowly, we learn what led Sam and Vic to the bridge that night.  Bonded by their suffering, each privately commits to the impossible task of saving each other.
Honeybee is a heartbreaking, life-affirming novel that throws us headlong into a world of petty thefts, extortion plots, botched bank robberies, daring dog recues and one spectacular drag show.
At the heart of Honeybee is Sam: a solitary, resilient young person battling to navigate the world as their true self; enslaved by loyalty to a troubled mother, scarred by the volatility of a domineering stepfather, and cofounded by the kindness of new alliances.
Honeybee is a tender, profoundly moving novel, brimming with vivid characters and luminous words.  It’s about two lives forever changed by a chance encounter – one offering hope, the other redemption.  It’s about when to persevere, and when to be merciful, as Sam learns when to let go, and when to hold on.”