Honeybee - Book Review

My favourite book of 2020, my heart broke for everything this kid went through Honestly, I can’t remember the last time I cared for a character more than I did for him.

A deeply moving story that takes the reader on an emotional roller coaster. His single mother is too immersed in her own world to really see who he is and give him the love and support he needs.
My heart broke for everything this kid went through; for every moment of self-doubt, of confusion and terror and pain, and for all the times Sam simply couldn’t see a way out and wanted it all to be over. Honestly, I can’t remember the last time I cared for a character more than I did for Sam Watson.
She struggled to bring him up alone and they had to constantly keep moving from one low cost flat to another!
An unlikely friendship between two lost souls forms that will ultimately save them both.

Silvey has been criticised by some readers for writing about trans gender people when he is a straight man, but for me it’s part of a writer’s role to explore what it means to be different. Otherwise, how would we ever have all the amazing novels peopled by the wonderfully diverse characters invented by writers?

I have no hesitation in highly recommending Honeybee.