| Author | Craig Silvey |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Literary novel |
| Publisher | Allen & Unwin |
Publication date | September 2020 |
| Publication place | Australia |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 424 pp. |
| Awards | 2021 Indie Book Awards Book of the Year – Fiction, winner |
| ISBN | 9781760877224 |
Honeybee is a 2020 novel by the Australian author Craig Silvey. [1]
It was the winner of the 2021 Indie Book Awards Book of the Year – Fiction. [2]
This coming-of-age novel follows transgender fourteen-year-old Sam Watson, assigned as male at birth, as they slowly work on becoming who they really see themselves to be. Sam's life takes a major turn when they meet Vic, at a place where both have decided to end their lives.
Writing in Australian Book Review Anna MacDonald noted that: "By seeking to depict the inner conflict of a transgender teenager, Honeybee struggles to offer a different perspective to the representation of predominantly (but by no means only) male violence." The reviewer goes on to explain that they "found many of the characters and situations in the novel unconvincing. Silvey’s interrogation of socially imposed roles and rigidly policed identity positions relies upon the uncritical adoption of oversimplified Australian male archetypes." [3]
In The Guardian Fiona Wright acknowledges "that Silvey has done a great deal of research in writing Honeybee, and spoken to many people with lived experience of gender dysphoria and transition." However "there's something about the way that Sam's gender identity is treated as a reveal, as something startling or surprising, that sits uncomfortably with me. It feels othering, or almost exploitative, even as Sam is always portrayed with great compassion." [4]