Graver, Elizabeth. The Honey Thief
Eva is a kleptomaniac, Miriam has secrets from her past that haunt her, and Burl has tucked himself away in the world of bees. Miriam and her eleven year old daughter Eva have left Manhattan for upstate New York hoping to put Eva's thefts behind them. While Miriam struggles to establish herself - a new job, driving a car, meeting new friends, Eva is left at the farmhouse with an uninterested babysitter. Her mother's promises of camp never materialize so Eva heads out on her bike looking for friends, or at least someone to talk to. Burl notices that some of his honey is missing and a few days later meets Eva who is drawn to both the honey and the bees.
Eva is the center of the novel and it is through her relationships with both her mother and Burl that the reader comes to understand Eva. Eva's father is dead and in some ways Miriam is a typical overstressed single parent, but worries from the past add to her distress and distance her from Eva. Burl and Eva develop a friendship that is centered on the bees. Eva hides this friendship from Miriam and lies to Burl as well. It is the bees that bring the three together as they sort out the issues of their past and present lives.
Eva is deftly portrayed as a struggling adolescent. Miriam and Burl are sympathetically drawn as adults who are still trying to find meaningful relationships in their lives. In some ways Miriam and Burl are mirror images of each other - Miriam took the plunge and got burned, Burl was too cautious to try. Graver creates compelling characters and the bees provide a memorable backdrop.
Anne-Marie Mulligan, October 2, 1999.
Lucius Beebe Memorial Library - This page last updated 10/2/99 - lme.