Helen and the Grandbees by Alex Morrall

☆☆☆
.ePUB, 242 pages
Expected publication: October 28th 2020 by Legend Press

About the Book:
Forgetting your past is one thing, but living with your present is entirely different. Twenty years ago, Helen is forced to give up her newborn baby, Lily. Now living alone in her small flat, there is a knock at the door and her bee, her Lily, is standing in front of her. Reuniting means the world to them both, but Lily has questions. Lots of them. Questions that Helen is unwilling to answer. In turn Helen watches helplessly as her headstrong daughter launches from relationship to relationship, from kind Andrew, the father of her daughter, to violent Kingsley who fathers her son. When it’s clear her grandbees are in danger, tangled up in her daughter’s damaging relationship, Helen must find the courage to step in, confronting the fears that haunt her the most. Told in Helen’s quirky voice Helen and the Grandbees addresses matters of identity, race and mental illness.

My Review:

Beautifully written, very slow moving literary fiction with a lot of observations and not much dialogue. I had difficulty committing to this novel, the characters are touching and became people I understand—I shared their joy, love, tenacity, devotion, grief, regret and strength. It is this reason that I continued reading. I also really enjoyed the writing and the plot.

The way the timeline went was very confusing. First we are reading about the baby being born, then she 15 and then before you know it she is 2 again. The way it bounced around like that wasn't very seamless. I usually adore a non-linear timeline but the way this one was done wasn't my cup of tea. And the point of view switching so erratically was also a cause of confusion. 

It was a lovely story yet got lost in too many words and uneven pacing, but because of the beauty of the book it deserves three Stars.

Disclousure:
Thank you NetGalley, Alex Morrall and Legend Press for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an impartial review; all opinions are my own.

#HelenandtheGrandbees #NetGalley