Of Bees and Mist
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'It's rare to read a work of fiction that is so uniquely intoxicating, it becomes necessary to put life on hold while you let it work its magic. What makes Setiawan's achievement even more wonderful is that this is his debut novel...This is a bewitching, achingly romantic fairy tale and a truly epic undertaking - one that addresses some of lifes most universal themes of love, loyalty and betrayal' (SHE Magazine )
'This debut demands you enter a place full of spirits, ghosts, demons and clairvoyants, where spells and witchcraft prevail.' (Glamour Magazine )
'A wildly imaginative beauty also marks Setiawan out as one to watch.' (Metro )
'A beautiful and sweeping modern fable of two families enmeshed in jealousy, desire and bitterness, the depth of passon and the pain of loss. Delightfully written and compelling, it's terrific - one to be hand sold.' (The Bookseller )
'This debut demands you enter a place full of spirits, ghosts, demons and clairvoyants, where spells and witchcraft prevail.' (Glamour Magazine )
'A wildly imaginative beauty also marks Setiawan out as one to watch.' (Metro )
'A beautiful and sweeping modern fable of two families enmeshed in jealousy, desire and bitterness, the depth of passon and the pain of loss. Delightfully written and compelling, it's terrific - one to be hand sold.' (The Bookseller )
Product Description
Up in the house that sits on the hill, a strange spell is brewing...
To Meridia, growing up with her father Gabriel, who vanishes daily in clouds of mist, and her bewitching mother Ravenna, the outside world is a refuge. So when as a young woman her true love Daniel offers her marriage, it seems an escape to a more straightforward existence.
Yet behind the welcoming façade of her new home lies a life of drudgery and a story even stranger than that she left behind. Aged retainers lurk in the background; swarms of bees appear at will, and of course, there's her indomitable mother-in-law, Eva, hiding secrets that it will take Meridia years to unravel. Surrounded by seemingly unfathomable mysteries, can Meridia unlock the intrigues of the past, and thus protect her own family's future?
An epic tale of two families told by an unforgettable voice. A modern fable, a gothic page-turner, but most of all, a passionate story about the power of love to conquer all that comes its way.
To Meridia, growing up with her father Gabriel, who vanishes daily in clouds of mist, and her bewitching mother Ravenna, the outside world is a refuge. So when as a young woman her true love Daniel offers her marriage, it seems an escape to a more straightforward existence.
Yet behind the welcoming façade of her new home lies a life of drudgery and a story even stranger than that she left behind. Aged retainers lurk in the background; swarms of bees appear at will, and of course, there's her indomitable mother-in-law, Eva, hiding secrets that it will take Meridia years to unravel. Surrounded by seemingly unfathomable mysteries, can Meridia unlock the intrigues of the past, and thus protect her own family's future?
An epic tale of two families told by an unforgettable voice. A modern fable, a gothic page-turner, but most of all, a passionate story about the power of love to conquer all that comes its way.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
20 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Erick Setiawan's debut novel is a fabulous creation - an intense family melodrama set within a dark gothic fantasy world. Within this magical world Meridia's life experience has been shaped by the deep rift that has always lain between her father and mother - a rift expressed in the coldness emanating from the house around them, dark mists that lap at the door to whisk her father off to his mistress, the vengeful ghost of his mother's bitterness and anger battering at the door and appearing in the mirrors of the house.
Then, at a fairground of wonderful sideshows and spiritualists offering their services, Meridia meets Daniel and the dark world she has known is transformed into something lighter and more magical. However, as she and Daniel overcome the obstacles to start their life together, Meridia finds the ominous mists of her youth replaced by an even more menacing threat - the bees spewed out by her mother-in-law, Eva.
At heart, Of Bees and Mist is a big family melodrama of dark family secrets and disputes, but the bitterness is so deep and violent that it has to be expressed in terms of a magic realism that owes as much to Tim Burton as it does to Isabel Allende or Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Setiawan keeps the drama grounded in the reality of human behaviour and interaction, expressing with minute detail and observation every nuance of emotion, conflict and love, but converting it into magical terms of dark portentous omens and precious objects. In so doing he creates in Eva one of the most monstrous and unforgettable characters ever seen in literature - truly the Mother-in-Law from Hell - in a distinctive and utterly enthralling first novel.
Then, at a fairground of wonderful sideshows and spiritualists offering their services, Meridia meets Daniel and the dark world she has known is transformed into something lighter and more magical. However, as she and Daniel overcome the obstacles to start their life together, Meridia finds the ominous mists of her youth replaced by an even more menacing threat - the bees spewed out by her mother-in-law, Eva.
At heart, Of Bees and Mist is a big family melodrama of dark family secrets and disputes, but the bitterness is so deep and violent that it has to be expressed in terms of a magic realism that owes as much to Tim Burton as it does to Isabel Allende or Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Setiawan keeps the drama grounded in the reality of human behaviour and interaction, expressing with minute detail and observation every nuance of emotion, conflict and love, but converting it into magical terms of dark portentous omens and precious objects. In so doing he creates in Eva one of the most monstrous and unforgettable characters ever seen in literature - truly the Mother-in-Law from Hell - in a distinctive and utterly enthralling first novel.
21 of 23 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
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I have to admit that when I first started this book I was very dubious about it. It starts out sounding like some awful, twee fairytale. Rather weirdly, it turns out to be so, so much more than that. Filled with characters with names like 'Meridia' (this is why I was initially put off), Of Bees and Mist is actually a deeply touching, funny and moving novel.
It is certainly not just a fairytale, although it plays with that format, and it is certainly not just one for the girls. Although it is lightly written with a deft touch, it's a book with a lot of depth too. Highly recommended - my favourite surprise novel of this year!
It is certainly not just a fairytale, although it plays with that format, and it is certainly not just one for the girls. Although it is lightly written with a deft touch, it's a book with a lot of depth too. Highly recommended - my favourite surprise novel of this year!
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book was in my Amazon recommendations, it looked interesting and thought I'd give it a go. I must admit, I found it very odd and to be perfectly frank I was very close to throwing the book aside. The mist, the bees, the strangeness of everything. But I perservered and suddenly I realised that I was completely and utterly sucked in. I read a lot of books, but being a Mum of three little children, my reading time is very limited. I literally could not put this book down. I loved and believed all the characters. I found myself actually crying sometimes!! There were on occasions that I had to check that this was a male author, considering his understanding of a womens' psyche, particularly after having a baby! It's been a long time since I've been so hooked. Even whilst I was making dinner I had the book propped up for me to read. I have been completely distracted. Thankfully, although sadly I have now finished it this morning. I can now turn my attention back to my family!!! When putting it down I stated to my one year old, "OK Matthew! Mummys back!!" It was a wonderful book. I usually buy books on Amazon and then sell them on, but this one will be staying on my shelf. A book all about magic, and boy, it really worked it's magic on me!!!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Definitely worth reading
Liked it. Interesting read, a bit different. Well written and clearly put. Although might seem like a fairytale about magic (which may put some off), the magic elements are more... Read more
Published 20 days ago by Kimberley
Amazing debut novel
This book has become one of my favourite books of all time. I was swept away into another world. It's one of those stories that stays with you long after you've turned the last... Read more
Published 3 months ago by N. Swain
A wonderful tale ...
To help someone thinking about buying this book (and to link with some other reviews) the first thing to say is the book is in the magic realism genre - mixing fantasy/magic... Read more
Published 3 months ago by E. A. Williams
A fairy tale for adults
'Of Bees and Mist' is the stunning debut novel of Eric Setiawan that tells the tale of Meridia. Meridia is a young girl who grows up coddled by her nurse, resented by her father... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Michelle
Best book in years
I loved it. It has been years since I have read a book that I could not put down. Amazing.
Published 7 months ago by Ingvild
Moved to write a review
It's not often I feel moved to write a review. A Thousand Splendid Suns, The Book Thief, those are the sort of books that make you want to shout about them but this book is so... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Jeffinergiraffe
Miserable Mess - Not the Magical Escapism I Was Hoping For...
This book turned out to be very different to what I had in mind.
It was not escapism, it was more of an intense journey that involved a ton of misery, evil characters,... Read more
It was not escapism, it was more of an intense journey that involved a ton of misery, evil characters,... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Miss Sterling
Enthralling
Couldn't put it down. The writing is beautifully evocative, slightly Eastern in flavour, playing with the senses. It's more than it promises to be, and the end.... Read more
Published 11 months ago by B. Giles
A slow grower but thoroughly worth it in the end!
It actually took me four attempts to get past chapter three of this book. Initially I contemplated giving up thinking that it just wasn't for me, despite the rather unique sounding... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Nicola F (Nic)
Clever and original.
What impressed me most about this book is that it was written by a man. Although there is indeed a mother-in-law-from-hell figure as stated by another reviewer, the author is... Read more
Published 12 months ago by trilobite
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