Grey Bees, by Andrey Kurkov
52/60 | Started 09.07.24 • Finished 09.23.24 | 3.75 stars
This was one of those novels that I enjoyed but am finding it hard to explain why. I chose it because it was on Current's list of 100 books of the 21st century. The book follows beekeeper Sergey Sergeyich as he tries to survive in the "grey zone," the neutral territory between Ukraine and Russia. The story includes Pashka, his one friend in the zone, all the other town inhabitants having fled to life and safety. As a beekeeper, Sergeyich knows his hive will need respite from the sporadic shelling in order to thrive come spring. His mission to provide them with sufficient space for collecting pollen leads him on an adventure through the Ukrainian and Russian countryside, meeting friend and foe alike along the way.
This too is holy work, after all – to brighten man’s life in dark times.
I'd say it's worth reading, if only for some perspective on what it might be like to live in an area experiencing almost constant conflict of one kind or another. I don't know that I would call it one of the top 100 books of the 21st century... but I'm glad I read it.
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