The Bee Sting

1. General Impressions

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

• How do you feel about Murray’s choice to have each of the central characters endure character development and growth as opposed to a singular dynamic protagonist? Were there any perspectives you didn’t enjoy at all?
• The story depicts several fraught familial relationships. What was your impression of the characters while reading this? Were they relatable?
• What was your reaction to the ending? Did you feel that the story was resolved?

2. Personal Reflection and Connection

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

• Which characters did you feel most connected to? Have you had similar emotional journeys as them, or did you empathize with their circumstances within the narrative?
• Murray positions communication as the key to overcoming conflict within the novel. Do you agree? If not, what else helps to overcome conflict?
• Dublin, as a bigger city than the Barnes’s hometown, symbolizes opportunity and possibility within the text. Do you see cities this way, or do you prefer smaller towns? How does your environment impact your quality of life?
• Do you feel that Murray’s portrayal of the complexities of family life are accurate? Are all family dynamics subject to the impact of secrets and shame, or does this afflict certain people more than others?
• Do you think that the Barnes’s economic struggles make the characters or circumstances more relatable?

3. Societal and Cultural Context

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

• Research the Irish cultural history of gender norms, sexuality, and anti-gay bias and consider if it alters your understanding of the characters’ actions and backstories. Is this cultural context relevant to the story?
• The narrative takes place around the 2008 financial crash, or the end of the Celtic Tiger era in Ireland. How do the Barnes’s economic struggles incite the major events of the novel? 

4. Literary Analysis

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

• Murray utilizes different writing styles depending on the perspective and part of the story. How does this technique impact each character?
• How does writing from each character’s point of view shape the plot? How might the story have differed if it were written from only one character’s perspective? Or an omniscient perspective?
• What function does the bunker serve in the narrative? Does this setting inspire positive or negative behavior in the characters, and why?
• The “bee sting” for which the novel is named is actually a wound given to a central character by her father. How does Murray shift the focus of the story by using this title?
• Research the “tragicomedy” genre that The Bee Sting occupies. Why does this genre better suit the story in tone, setting, and theme compared to a more traditional drama?

5. Creative Engagement

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

• What do you imagine happens immediately after the ending of the story? Is your expectation based on the happiest possible outcome or the most likely?
• Each central character is hiding something from the rest. If you could choose one character in the novel to rewrite and make honest with their family by the end, who would it be? What might the impact on the rest of the story be?

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