Honey: A Novel

by Brenda Brooks

Overview

“Sinuous and captivating.”— Foreword Reviews

Shortlisted for the 2019 Staunch Book Prize

For readers of Sharp Objects comes a thrilling modern noir with a fresh narrative voice that explores coming of age, desire, and the lengths we’ll go to for love

When 24-year-old Nicole Hewett’s beloved childhood friend, Honey, returns to their small northern town after an unexplained six-year absence, Nicole realizes how her life had stalled without her. But the prodigal returns with troubling secrets, and before long Nicole is drawn into a high-stakes game. Honey is a thrilling, sensuous modern noir novel with a classic refrain: nothing is more dangerous than love.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781770414976
Publisher:	ECW Press
Publication date:	10/01/2019
Pages:	232
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.60(d)
Lexile:	1040L (what's this?)

About the Author

Brenda Brooks has published two poetry collections and a novel, Gotta Find Me an Angel, a finalist for the Amazon.ca First Novel Award. She lives on Salt Spring Island in British Columbia.

Read an Excerpt

I never went back to the house on Montague Street again. I didn’t even return to town. The day of my release I thought about dropping by Robinson’s on 3rd to pick up something new to wear, give myself the illusion of a fresh start, that sort of thing, but there were bound to be a few locals around who remembered what happened so I kept driving.

All I took with me was a suitcase and that thrift store hour glass Honey gave me on Christmas Eve the night they ran off: brass, with genuine hand-blown bulbs. She said it was precise, never got clogged, the sand always ran true. It turned out to be symbolic as hell but that’s the nature of an hour glass after all: it whispers the bottom line without saying a word.

No, I never returned to Buckthorn at all. It would have been like cruising through an abandoned movie set, tumbleweeds blowing down the boulevard, the last fake storefront nailed shut — which is what that Godforsaken place was bound for anyway. That’s why you’ve never heard of my hometown. It doesn’t exist anymore, at least not in the way I remember. Maybe it never did. Look at me, will you: twenty-five and already living in the past.

Honey was from Buckthorn too, although she bullshitted from childhood on about various far-flung locales being her true birthplace. I went along for the fun of it. And after all, our town being what it was? Who could blame her for getting stoned now and then and dreaming? Elba, some island in Italy, was her favorite fantasy. She had a thing about it for years. According to her she’d been born there in another life. “The life that counts,” she said. I sometimes thought she would have chosen any exotic locale as long as it had a beach, a big red sunset, and rose-colored sand. Sand that color is pretty unlikely, I told her, even in Elba, but that didn’t bother her. She liked pretty unlikely things, her dreams (and old scrapbooks) full of beaches and ruins and old trees with truffles tangled in their roots — things like that. In a way I guess you could say that this whole mess came down to Honey trying to find her true-blue homeland, and me doing my best not to lose her again.

I’m not much for talking, now more than ever, although I’m sure that’s hard to believe. I mean, look at me rattling on. If you asked me where I’m from, what it was like there — and what I mean by “what happened,” I’d tell you about Honey. Because she’s where I’m from, and the only place I’ve ever really been.

She’s what happened.

Reading Group Guide

1. At the end of the novel, the “film club” in the psych ward breaks into two camps: romantics and realists. Which side does Honey fall on? Which camp do you think the author is in? Where do you think you land? See if the rest of the discussion changes your mind.
2. How is the setting, the down-and-out small town of Buckthorn, important to the story?
3. Did Nicole’s desire for Honey surprise you? If not, when did you know Nicole was starting to see her as more than a friend?
4. Did the Eldorado strike you as symbolic? What does it represent to Honey? To Nicole?
5. Honey is in many ways a classic “femme fatale,” who lures an unsuspecting lover into dangerous situations with her charm and feminine wiles. Does Honey challenge this archetype at all?
6. Honey has only one principal male character, Detective Smith. Did the all-female cast make you see the story any differently? What different perspective does a woman writer bring to a notoriously masculine genre?
7. Nicole and Honey love old movies and often quote them. What does that bring to the story? Were there parts of the book that you found cinematic?
8. Nicole’s father is dead before the story begins, yet he’s an important touchpoint at the beginning and the end of the story. What does Nicole’s father represent?
9. Nicole is the moral compass of the book, whereas Honey is more practical. How much do you think this has to do with class, with upbringing, with circumstances? Is Honey morally fluid because she needs to be? Do you think any of her tough girl persona is an act?
10. Nicole shares many memories of her and Honey as kids. What effect do these memories have on how we see Honey and their relationship?
11. Honey is set up as a shady character, but can we trust Nicole’s version of events? Are there any reasons she might not be a reliable witness?
12. It’s clear by the end that Nicole wants nothing more than Honey. What do you think Honey wants?

Editorial Reviews

Brooks has delivered a meaty, insightful, and at times funny story of star crossed lovers (think Rebel Without a Cause). Her writing is exceptional and hard-driving, and the story itself difficult to put down.” — Booklist

“Sinuous and captivating, Honey is a novel about friendship, obsession, and the troubling, even perilous ambiguities behind motivations and desires.” — Foreword Reviews

“An exploration of obsession and the ignition of latent desires ... The characters may be rough around the edges, but their descriptions contain a sense of grace ... [A] sumptuous slow burn of a novel.” — Shelf Awareness for Readers

“Honey shows that the classic noir fatalism you see in writers like David Goodis makes a lot of sense in a contemporary setting as well. With well-drawn characters and Brooks’s ability to tease out an obsessiveness that leads to some truly bad decision-making, this is an impactful, spare read.” — Nathan Ripley, author of Find You in the Dark and Your Life Is Mine

“A darkly prismatic relationship between two complex and fascinating antiheroines. Honey showcases Brooks’s intellect and wit and proves her incontestable talent for sultry, neo-noir storytelling.” — Pearl Luke, author of Burning Ground and Madame Zee

“If Raymond Chandler has taught us anything, it’s that every good noir begins with a dame, preferably one who’s beautiful, lost, and a whole lot of trouble. With her shadowy past and undeniable charm, Honey more than fits the bill — she’s heaven and hell all at once. Nicole hasn’t seen her childhood best friend since she left town years before. But now that Honey is back, they can pick up where they left off and then some. It isn’t long though before the growing heat between them threatens to consume Nicole entirely — who is Honey really? And why did she come back? Brenda Brooks has written an engrossing and gritty slow burn of a mystery, one that marks a welcome update to the genre!” — Lauren Peugh, Elliott Bay Book Company (Seattle, WA)

“A very, very good book! I fell in love with the writing (or should I say with Nicole’s voice?) by the end of the prologue, and was still in love when I reached the end. I never stopped rooting for Nicole ... What sets this thriller apart from the crowd, I think, are two wonderful elements: 1) the ambiguity of Honey’s innocence or guilt throughout the story — was she a manipulator? a victim? and 2) the strong thrum of deep love that runs like a current under the tale — the fact that Nicole was in love with Honey no matter what she’d done or hadn’t done, and that her love seemed to supersede all other considerations. It’s not often you read of this sort of relationship in a mystery/thriller, and Ms. Brooks so skillfully walks that knife-edge between love and manipulation, between ignorance and denial. I think many of our mystery readers would really enjoy this book, and seems to me to be a great book club choice — so much to ponder and discuss!” — Tim Budd, Prairie Lights Books (Iowa City, IA)

“A honey of a novel, one that has nicely drawn figures that haunt the reader from first page to last.” — Owen Sound Sun Times

“In an opening nod to Rebecca, Brooks takes the wheel with the smart style and knowing sass of Barbara Kingsolver or Gillian Flynn. With an atmosphere that David Lynch would be proud of, we’re in safe hands for gripping modern noir ... This novel is a great seduction, with all the thrills, treachery and heartache that can bring ... Great plot. Sharp dialogue. Brilliant writing. You’ll want to read more of Brenda Brooks.” — Staunch Book Prize Committee

“Showcasing author Brenda Brooks as a particularly gifted novelist, Honey is unreservedly endorsed and recommended for both community and academic library Contemporary Literary Fiction collections.” — Midwest Book Review

From the Publisher