Kissing the Bee

Kathe Koja, Kissing the Bee (FSG, 2007) While Kathe Koja is one of those authors who can do no wrong, that is not to say that Koja's work has not had varying degrees of rightness over the years. Kissing the Bee is the rightest, in its earnest and seductive way, since Straydog five years ago. Dana is a high school senior working on a project about bees. Her best friend is Avra, high school culture's version of a queen bee, with all the qualities that entails. Avra's boyfriend is Emil, the somewhat disaffected hipster who never quite fits in, but is all the more popular for it. The three of them are a unit unto themselves within the boundaries of that high school culture, but their unit is straining; Avra is champing at the bit to run away from home, and is planning on leaving straight from the prom. She expects Emil to go with her, though has never actually asked whether he will. Dana and Emil, both of whom are friendlier with Avra's parents than she is, are the only people who know. And Dana is in love with Emil. How can things not fracture? Among the many strengths that have marked Kathe Koja's writing for the past decade and a half, the greatest has always been her ability to create simple, understated, completely real characters. She usually sticks them in more fantastic situations, as seen recently in The Blue Mirror; in fact, she's trod this very road before, in the fantastic adult novel Kink ten years ago, though with a much more dark-fantastic spin on things than can be found in this almost grittily realistic novel. Dana is my favorite Koja lead since Grant Cotto (Strange Angels); she rarely comes right out and says what she's thinking (and when she does, it's usually to throw us a curveball), but Koja lets us know through her actions. And (for the most part, though the whole toasting-of-the-bees scene does get a little heavy-handed) we're not talking about the whole Hollywood heavy-lidded stare thing here, either. Small jumps of muscle or cocks of eyebrow, to continue that parallel-- to put forth an example, when Dana wants to express her frustration with the events around her, she picks up the wings from Avra and Emil's prom costumes, puts them in her car, and drives around all night. I mean, come on. Even Dana doesn't know what she means to do by this-- but by this point in the book, you will. And that's what makes Kathe Koja such a powerful writer. I was sad when I found out that Kathe Koja would no longer be writing adult novels, but she has certainly translated her talent wholesale into the young adult arena. And it has rarely shone the way it does here. **** ½

Dana and Avra are best friends. As good of friends as can be when one person is the queen bee and the other is charged with doing what it takes to keep the queen happy. Avra is the undisputed queen -- she decides what they do and when they do it. She also has lofty plans for the future. Avra is counting the days until the end of high school. At that time, she plans to escape from her family and town in an attempt to conquer the world. In true, royal fashion she has even determined that one member of her "royal court," her boyfriend, Emil, will accompany her on her journey. Dana has her own plans. She is heading to college and, in addition to her duties of helping Avra prepare for prom, she is working on her final project for school. Dana has been preparing a project on the lives and habits of bees, which closely mirror the social interactions she and her friends are experiencing. Dana also has a problem that she has managed to keep secret from Avra and Emil. She is in love with her best friend's boyfriend. But does Emil have feelings for Dana, as well? KISSING THE BEE is an amazingly straight-forward novel that will draw you in and keep you reading from the first page to the last. The main character is as true as she is flawed; a character that anybody who's ever loved can identify with. Kathe Koja has written a story that flows smoothly from beginning to end. There are no distractions within the story; the focus remains on the relationship between three young people, teetering on the edge of change. Reviewed by: JodiG.