BOOK REVIEW: The Honey Queen by Cathy Kelly

Nobody knows exactly what goes on behind closed doors and that’s exactly what bestselling author Cathy Kelly explores in her latest novel The Honey Queen.

Focused around a number of intertwined storylines and captivating female characters, she addresses a number of issues which are core to modern Irish life including redundancy, adoption and marriage.

The story focuses on a number of women who find themselves in the close-knit town of Redstone.

Frankie is struggling to cope under the strain of her husband’s redundancy while widowed Lillie is getting acquainted with the brother she has only discovered and Peggy is trying to start over and put her dark family past behind her.

What unfolds during the 400-plus pages is both heart wrenching and wonderful as these characters try to make sense of their increasingly-complicated lives.

The Honey Queen delves into important issues that many are afraid to discuss and this is what makes it so compelling and true-to-life.

It addresses the uncertainty of life after redundancy along with the fear of the truth of the past and the difficulty of starting over in a new place surrounded by new people.

Kelly, as always, writes with such fluidity that makes the book impossible to put down. The plot unfolds beautifully and with ease until the dramatic climax which definitely doesn’t disappoint.

But at the heart of it all lie the characters that are like familiar faces. From Lillie’s warmth to Frankie’s strength to Peggy’s stubbornness, Kelly’s latest heroines are charming yet flawed. This is precisely what makes them so easy to relate to and root for.

That’s not to detract from the supporting characters which really complete the story and include the fifteen-year-old Freya who is wise beyond her years, the too-generous Opal who always puts others first and the selfish Meredith who has forgotten what is really important in life.

What Kelly’s latest novel does is bring out exactly what happens behind closed doors with an honesty and skill that is both emotionally engaging and incredibly comforting. In fact The Honey Queen is as sweet a read as we’ve come across in a long time.

To be in with a chance of winning a copy of The Honey Queen, enter this competition.