Bibliographic info
Title: The Honeys
Authors: Ryan La Sala
ISBN: 9781338745313
Publisher: PUSH, a YA imprint of Scholastic
Copyright date: 2022
Genre/Format: horror, magical realism/audiobook
Awards: Odyssey Award (2023) for Audiobook Production
Reading level: Grade 9 and up (School Library Journal)
Plot Summary
A few weeks after Mars’s estranged twin sister Caroline goes off to her annual summer camp, she returns under the dead of night and attacks him, not herself. In the attack, Caroline dies tragically, and the esteemed Matthias family is able to cover it up due to the discovery of a deadly, psychologically altering tumor found in Caroline’s brain. Mars, who has hated the Aspen Conservancy summer camp after it rejected his gender fluidity, decides that he needs answers about the last year of his sister’s life. Enter the Honeys- a group of secretive girls who live in the most reclusive cabin at camp, where they tend to the bees and shun outsiders. In her years at the camp, Caroline was welcomed into the group, and she and Mars grew apart. After witnessing the Honeys interacting strangely with Caroline’s body at the wake, Mars convinces his parents to send him to the camp in her place…and uncover what the Honeys are actually up to. At camp, Mars navigates the extremes of the gender binary, where the boys are hazed into manhood. The Honeys, however, seem to take things into their own hands when it comes to the inner workings of camp.
Author background
Ryan La Sala writes genre-bending queer stories focused on the strange and horrifying. The Honeys is his third novel, following acclaimed titles Reverie (2019), Be Dazzled (2021), and Beholder (2023). In an interview with Geeks Out, La Sala mentions that the popular YA fiction of his time- Harry Potter, Twilight, and The Hunger Games, to name a few, were all devoid of queer people. This gap led him to writing “out of spite”, to create new stories with queer characters that establish a mythos more centered on the complex nuances of LGBTQ+ identities (Geeks Out, 2022). La Sala has mentioned that the book banning movement only inspires him to concentrate his themes even more directly in opposition (Publishers Weekly, 2022). A film adaptation of The Honeys is in the works with Anonymous Content Entertainment.
“The dedication to the book reads, “This book is for the girls that took me in when the boys kicked me out,” because this book really is for the girls that I think kind of saved my life. At a certain point, I no longer could fit in among the rituals of boyhood, and I remember running to the girls for salvation.” (Interview with Publishers Weekly, 2022)
Critical Evaluation
I really enjoyed my time with this book, which was made even better by the award-winning audiobook, narrated by Pete Cross. The accompanying side effects that accompanied the narration were very inspired: creepy buzzing bees, creaking forests, and screams in the night. It was easily the most atmospheric audiobook I’ve ever listened to.
One of the best places this book shone was its characters, especially the platonic bonds. Mars’s wish to be included in the friendships between girls, and more specifically the Honeys themselves, is a major theme. I thought this was really well-explained, and La Sala explores both how Mars navigates fitting into masculine and feminine spaces. The Aspen Conservancy Summer Camp enforces pretty strict separation between sexes, and Mars has to stomach the bullying, belittlement, and abuse thrown his way by the boys in order to properly investigate his sister’s death. By contrast, the Honeys are an emotionally mature, understanding group of girls, and while deeply mysterious and maybe murderous, they accept Mars with no questions asked.
While the final act really ramped up the stakes and action, I did think that a smaller focus could have worked just as well. Before fully committing to the true reason why the Honeys farm honey, and who it’s for, I thought their motivations were really interesting and discussed important subjects. One of the things Mars has to overhear constantly among the boys at camp is their discussions of the girls, which spirals into out of control locker room talk more often than not. The book asks the brave question: if one of those boys, or one who acted on his thoughts without the consent of a girl, went missing in the woods, is the person at fault for that the villain? I wished this conclusion was where the book focused its ending, but I see why it wrapped up the way it did. Overall, it achieved the dreamy-summer-camp-dripping-in-honey cult horror perfectly.
Creative use for a library program
Also mentioned in Assignment #3
I think a library program focused on beekeeping would be such a fun tie-in for this book. While there are strong horror elements, you can’t deny that the insects are all over the book. On a broader, more applicable scale, however, an ongoing program for teens with visiting presenters focused on “unconventional” jobs (or pathways in the trades) would be a valuable resource. In this instance, unconventional mostly refers to jobs that aren’t straightforwardly advertised to teenagers throughout the college application process. Similar events could be focused on things like metalworking, sewing, dance, or parks and recreation work.
Speed-Run Book-Talk
When his twin sister returns from summer camp in the middle of night trying to kill him and then dies in the process, Mars makes it his mission to investigate what happened to her. Doing so means he has to return to the Aspen Conservancy Summer Camp, a place that invalidates his gender fluid identity by forcing a strict separation of boys and girls. Mars has a suspicion that the mysterious group of girls called the Honeys, who Caroline was close with, has something to do with her death. He’s right…just not at all in the way he thinks.
Potential Challenge Issues and Defense Preparation
Mars is a genderfluid teenager who has come into his identity throughout his childhood. His mother, an important New York senator, keeps him hidden from the public as much as she can, while not being overly cruel to his face. The book deals closely with issues related to sexual assault, degrading language used to describe girls and women, and homophobia. Arguably, this book is a lesson in empathy and patience, where Mars, someone who by nature of existing in his skin does not fit in, has to painfully adapt to his surroundings. This lesson, and the challenging outcomes, is important for young adults to consume. Changing yourself for the acceptance of others is futile in the end, even if the mission Mars is on necessitates it.
Reason for inclusion
I was recommended this book, specifically the audiobook, by the teen librarian at the library I work at. Since our tastes overlap, I decided to give it a listen. It was addicting and easy to consume, and I found it on Libby. I want to include a diverse set of genres across my collection, so a summer camp cult horror about bees was an easy pick!
References
La Sala, Ryan. (2026). Media Kit.Retrieved fromhttps://www.ryanlasala.com/about/media-kit/
Kirichanskaya, M. (2022, September 3). Interview with Author Ryan La Sala. Geeks Out. https://www.geeksout.org/2022/09/03/interview-with-author-ryan-la-sala/
Stevens, Allie. (2022, August 1).The Honeys. School Library Journal.https://www.slj.com/review/the-honeys
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