I’m trying to decide how I feel about this book. It is an interesting book if not sometimes odd. This is a story of an extremely dysfunctional middle class family. Every one of them has their issues, some stranger than others. Some somewhat relatable. Regardless of the sometimes odd story line (Eliza, Mom), the writing was definitely the best part of the book. I would look forward to reading another book by this author.

I found this book very depressing. Saul, his wife Miriam, son Aaron and daughter Eliza are all people dissatisfied with their lives, who imagine that mystical experiences can fill the void. The closer each of them moves to their personal nirvana, the farther they move from each other, and from confronting the emptiness that propelled them on this path in the first place. I found it impossible to care about any of these characters or take much of an interest in their belated efforts to extricate themselves from the ruins of their dysfunctional family life.

As a culture we are very comfortable sanctioning religious beliefs as a coping mechanism, while condemning secular delusions, alcohol, and controlled substances as a source of refuge from the harsh realities of a cruel world. It seems to me that people generally only succeed in abandoning one form of solace by replacing it with another. As I finished this book I was wondering if Saul, Aaron and Eliza would ultimately come to terms with reality, or would merely adopt a different coping mechanism. But like I said, I don’t really care.

After a fourth read, I can now comfortably say that Myla Goldberg's Bee Season is my favorite book.
The book begins almost like a children's book, perhaps owing to its having a child as a protagonist. The conflicts and tensions are indicative of the genre, with bullies and fear of not fitting in all making an appearance. But this book is not merely about young Eliza. The circumstances surrounding her provide a springboard from which the whole of her family is examined, and once all the old and comfortable roles of the family are uprooted by something entirely new, it becomes very clear that it is a children's book no more. The change is gradual, fitting, and immensely satisfying. Goldberg provides a window into the soul of a family that is perhaps not average, but no atypical, and pulls it off with literary aplomb, with her sentences a series of minimalist movements building a symphony.