The Bee Sting cover art

The Bee Sting

Comedy meets tragedy in this hilarious Booker Prize shortlisted novel

 Preview

Get 30 days of Standard free

$8.99/mo after trial ends. Cancel anytime
Try for $0.00
More purchase options

The Bee Sting

By: Paul Murray
Narrated by: Heather O’Sullivan, Barry Fitzgerald, Beau Holland, Ciaran O'Brien, Lisa Caruccio Came
Try for $0.00

Auto-renews at $8.99/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $27.20

Buy Now for $27.20

About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

WINNER OF THE NERO BOOK AWARD FOR FICTION 2023
WINNER OF AN POST IRISH BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023
SHORTLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE 2023
SHORTLISTED FOR THE WRITERS’ PRIZE FOR FICTION 2024

The Barnes family are in trouble. Until recently they ran the biggest business in town, now they’re teetering on the brink of bankruptcy – and that’s just the start of their problems. Dickie and Imelda’s marriage is hanging by a thread; straight-A student Cass is careening off the rails; PJ is hopelessly in debt to the school bully. Meanwhile the ghosts of old mistakes are rising out of the past to meet them, but everyone’s too wrapped up in the present to see the danger looming . . .

'A tragicomic triumph. You won't read a sadder, truer, funnier novel this year' Guardian

'Generous, immersive, sharp-witted and devastating; the sort of novel that becomes a friend for life' Financial Times

‘Paul Murray [is] the undisputed reigning champion of epic Irish tragicomedy’ Spectator

‘An instant classic’ Washington Post

‘[An] astute, remorselessly funny novel’ Daily Mirror

‘A wagyu steak of a novel . . . A classic in the mode of The Corrections’ The Times

©2023 Paul Murray (P)2023 Penguin Audio

 Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Literature & Fiction Small Town & Rural Funny Comedy

Critic Reviews

It can't be overstated how purely pleasurable The Bee Sting is to read. Murray's brilliant new novel, about a rural Irish clan, posits the author as Dublin's answer to Jonathan Franzen . . . A 650-page slab of compulsive high-grade entertainment, The Bee Sting oozes pathos while being very funny to boot . . . Murray's observational gifts and A-game phrase-making render almost every page - every line, it sometimes seems - abuzz with fresh and funny insights . . . At its core this is a novel concerned with the ties that bind, secrets and lies, love and loss. They're all here, brought to life with captivating vigour in a first-class performance to cherish
The Bee Sting is the finest novel that Murray has yet written and will surely be one of the books of 2023 . . . It bears comparison to the brilliant comic writer Jonathan Coe... But Murray is his own writer, capable of keeping a multi-faceted and compulsive plot moving along with alacrity and confidence, while seamlessly blending drama, comedy and heartbreak... For 13 years, Paul Murray has been best known as the author of Skippy Dies. That, I suspect, is about to change
Immersive, brilliantly structured, beautifully written, so dense yet so compelling, [and] as laugh-out-loud funny as it is deeply disturbing . . . The Bee Sting is as ambitious as anything that has gone before, but with a focus and shape that grants it great depth as well as breadth. Seriously, all you need is this, your suntan lotion and a few days off work and you're good to go . . . I didn't see the plot twists coming. And they keep on coming, And coming again . . . I began with an ovation. I'll end abruptly, and in awe... Paul Murray, the undisputed reigning champion of epic Irish tragicomedy, has done it again
The most enjoyable new novel I came across this year. A sprawling, Franzen-esque saga about the Barnes family in Ireland recovering from the 2008 financial crisis, it’s an amazing piece of realist fiction, full-bodied, multi-narrative; a huge swing by Murray (Bret Easton Ellis)
A triumph. The Bee Sting deserves all the praise I am heaping on it. It is generous, immersive, sharp-witted and devastating; the sort of novel that becomes a friend for life
All stars
Most relevant
I read approximately two books per week and generally only give star reviews, but this one deserved some actual comments. I can count on one hand the times I have gone out of my way to provide written comments.
At times excruciating (in a good way) in its pathos. This novel had me on edge (again in a good way) all the way through. Despite being able to guess major plot points, it did not stop the reveal from building in adrenaline. The writing and language was superb. I imagine the themes will stick with me for quite sometime. It is definitely one of those novels that you ruminate over long after you have finished it.
The voice acting was brilliant and only added to the story. An all round quality production.

Absolutely Phenomenal

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A wonderful, thought-provoking story and excellent performances; so very engaging! Gripping until the very end!

Fantastic!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I just finished this very long story and the ending is not what I expected. I probably need to sit with it a bit, but not sure if I would have started it if I’d known how it ends.

Frustrating ending

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
It’s hard to understand how Paul Murray pulled a tale this intricate off. Each party is narrated by a different character that sheds new light on the events in the book. As you go your sympathies change. Hateful characters generate new affection when you see things through their eyes. Plot points are not what you thought.

‘Intersectionality’ is really the word here, and my god, I just don’t know how he managed to write something like this. It’s genius.

That said the ending is the bee sting in the tail. Not quite what I was hoping for; but perhaps that’s just me. Certainly worthy of your time though, it was very difficult to put down.

An intricately spun tale that is a masterwork in plotting.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
What a writer! Left a bit speechless by the end. Loved the characters, and even if I didn’t know where he was taking me as a reader, I went willingly with him. Loved it.

Cracking read

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.