Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan

Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan is one of those books that readers will appreciate most if they go into it in the dark. Don’t read reviews like this one. Avoid spoilers. The less you know, the better.

I knew that Jodi Picoult was one of the authors, and that was enough for me. I would read anything she writes because she has the ability to develop complex characters and then throw them into a world of hurt, while tossing in some unexpected twists along the way. I knew too that it was about a high school student accused of killing his girlfriend. I wasn’t aware of any other books in which she’d collaborated with another writer, so I wondered what this latest novel would be like on account of that second voice. 

As it turns out, Mad Honey works beautifully, and my ignorance was bliss indeed. Two story lines unfold throughout the novel, narrated by Asher’s mother Olivia and Lily, his girlfriend. A single parent who has moved back to the family farm and has expanded their beekeeping operation into a thriving business, Olivia feels like their life is on the right track. People around their small town know her for the honey and beeswax products she sells at the local farmers’ market. Asher is in love, and Olivia is genuinely fond of Lily, his girlfriend. The two of them seem well suited and appear to make each other genuinely happy. Which is why Olivia is stunned to learn that Lily has been found dead at her home and Asher is charged with her murder. 

Olivia’s chapters move forward through time from Lily’s death and Asher’s arrest, through his incarceration, and his trial. Lily’s chapters turn back time, beginning with the day of her death and moving back through the months before. We learn her backstory, how she and her mother Ava came to live in the small New Hampshire town, and why Lily is capable of both giving and guarding her heart.

The one small point I’d quibble about is that in his trial, Asher is defended by his uncle, Olivia’s brother Jordan who is a high-powered attorney. Lawyers don’t normally represent relatives, particularly in high profile cases like this one. At minimum I’d expect a conversation to take place in which Olivia and Jordan hash this out. Instead Jordan just rolls in, prepared to represent Asher himself instead of referring him to another attorney. It doesn’t hurt the book too badly, but readers familiar with the legal profession will be a bit surprised. 

The lyricism of Picoult’s writing about Olivia’s bees created a beautiful counterpoint to the painful story. I enjoyed learning about beekeeping culture, including traditions like informing the bees of a death in the family. I’d never heard of “mad honey” before, a substance that has been known to cause symptoms like dizziness, vomiting, convulsions, and more. And the book includes recipes for the honey-related treats Olivia makes, something I was grateful for after reading about these delicious foods. 

I highly recommend Mad Honey and look forward to purchasing it for my library. I received a free copy of the book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. 

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