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Day of the Bees |
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 Day of the Bees byThomas Sanchez Alfred A. Knopf 305 pages, 2000 ISBN 0375401628 Reviewed by Andrea Collare The curiosity of an American scholar brings us into the world of Louise Collard and her lover, a renowned Spanish painter, Zermano. Fifty years after their affair, the scholar journeys to France to unravel the secrets of their well-known, yet enigmatic parting. He discovers hidden love letters in the house of the recently deceased Louise. It is these letters that reveal the true story of the couple's parting during WWII. Although Louise receives letters regularly from Zermano and writes back with even more consistency, hers are never mailed. As the lovers write of their soul to one another, the truths of man and war come to light. We see how the war and prejudice reached into remote corners of the world tainting each life it brushed. Louise comes to understand herself through her writings, as they gradually become more a diary of her actions, intermingled with confessions of love and remembrances of moments forever gone but not forgotten with her lover. Her journey reveals months of an alcoholic fugue and an unlikely hero that saves Louise from herself. The unlikely hero, a beekeeper, appears as Louise's angel on earth. It is up to the reader to determine if he is real or a figment of Louise's tortured imagination. This also rings true for the events that occurred on the Day of the Bees, the centerpiece of this novel - a day that will haunt Louise and Zermano forever. Finally, the scholar makes a commitment to seek out the still living but reclusive Zermano - a journey that also reveals yet more hidden secrets. In Day of the Bees, Thomas Sanchez captures the essence of a passion that is often heightened to a frenzy in brutal times. Through the couple’s love letters, Sanchez reveals the most intimate moments in which all true lovers can empathize. He paints a picture of destiny ripped apart by the war, yet discovered again on new paths. Written in two formats, flashbacks of love letters and in the present day of the American scholar, Day of the Bees resolves a love affair that was cut short fifty years before. The technique is unique and works well with the story at hand. Sanchez’s poetic style and grace with words proves that it is not only the brush that can paint a beautiful picture. |
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