Harriet Alida Lye

This book was available in our lounge and, as someone who likes unsettling books and bees, I had to have it. And, honestly, I'm glad I grabbed it (I rarely have the opportunity to read adult fiction September-May). The Honey Farm is a slow, meditative and eerie story that doesn't give you all the answers but still satisfies.

The farm's isolation is total, and only compounded by the fact that Silvia views this as her opportunity to truly discover herself and divorce herself from her parents and her religion. Ibrahim, while important, seems to barely be a character, painting and keeping himself separate from the others even as he falls in love with Silvia. While I would have liked a little more interaction in between all the various guests and Silvia, it lends to her isolation that she never really warms up to them. She's sad when they leave, but it doesn't really affect her.

Cynthia is the true mystery of the novel - aloof (except for Silvia), business-like, and humorless, you never really understand why she wanted people to come out to the farm (yes she needed help, but she didn't seem to be happy they were there and didn't really engage with them) or why she's so interested in Silvia. Yes, Silvia looks like her ex-wife, and once she becomes pregnant, Cynthia probably sees it as an opportunity to regain some of what she lost, but since we don't really get a sense of her loss we can't understand her motivations.

Religion and dread both suffuse the novel, lending it a slightly dreamy and dry quality. Silvia's drifting away from the Christianity that so defined her life, and feels guilty about this, and so begins to see the ominous atmosphere as some kind of punishment. Her isolation (from her parents, from the other workers, even from Ibrahim) only allows her to fall deeper into these delusions, until she can't separate out her guilt from random occurrences. I do definitely think something was going on with her and Cynthia; maybe Cynthia was drugging her? She sure seemed to want her to drink a lot of milk and was reluctant to let her go...

Regarding the ending: Yes, it just ends. But there's nothing uncertain about it. Silvia gives birth and Cynthia swoops in, becoming larger than life to everyone involved (except maybe Hartford), unwilling to let anything come in between her and what she wanted. Ibrahim, who had been so removed throughout the book, stayed removed (honestly, he was trying to convince himself he loved Silvia when I don't think he really did) and was easily manipulated by her. He and Silvia go to the hospital, leaving Cynthia with the baby, but also with Hartford, who will probably make sure she doesn't do anything.

The book is the honey farm, and everything that happens within it. The only non-farm parts are in the beginning when we're introduced to Silvia and Ibrahim - there's never anything else described happening off the farm. Do we really need to see Silvia checked in to the hopsital and recovering?… (más)