Book Review: "Honeysuckle" by Bar Fridman-Tell

I'm not going to lie, I wasn't expecting this book to be so addictive. I read half of it first thing in the morning and spent the rest of the day thinking 'I just want to find out what happens at the end...' whilst also simultaneously not Googling the book because if anyone ruined it for me I would genuinely be out to find them. It's one of those books that I only looked up to reality from because my phone rang. If it didn't ring, I would probably still be sitting there now even though the book is long over. I would just be staring at the wall. Here's why...

Rory has no friends and his sister Wynne, is annoyed with him constantly following her around. They are children, their parents are nowhere to be seen, the have a nanny and a tutor and they live in the middle of nowhere in the foresty locations. One day, Wynne decides that Rory requires a friend to play with and so, agrees to make him a flower girl out of leaves and flowers using ancient magic to bring her to life. Incantations and rituals litter the book but all of a sudden, Daye is born. She is wonderful and learns as Rory teaches her. But as she is made from seasonal flowers, she dies at the end of each season and needs to be remade.

As Wynne starts to grow distant, Rory spends more time with Daye and yet, wishes to escape to the city as Wynne did - though he also doesn't want to leave Daye behind. The two grow up and by the time Rory is in his teens, he is conflicted about what he wants. I think the author does a fantastic job here at making us know what the reveal might be but of course, leaves us hanging on the edge of this wilderness mythology which steeps itself in the realms of folklore - especially in folk horror. Daye's rebirths are strenuous and often terrifying processes which liken themselves to cult ritual and occult practice. It's clear the author was very careful with their depictions of the events and from what perspective.

When it comes to storytelling, there is something that feels truly magical about this book but also horrific at the same time. I think that it definitely captured the atmosphere of this magic existing in a folkish world which is also the real world - it feels almost uncanny. As the story develops there is definitely a feeling of dread and doom because you're constantly scared of the prospects for Daye as she is definitely being presented to us as a real character rather than just a flower girl. She even gets her own chapters in which we see the story from her third person limited perspective. It makes us feel the realities of Daye without strictly saying 'she's real' though that is felt by Rory. The author needs us to feel this way because what happens to Daye is sort of an emotional anchor. As the book's events turn more terrifying and dreadful, this will be the thing that keeps us reading on.

The book's climax and ending are not something I will be sharing and I definitely won't be sharing a key realisation of why Rory wants to keep Daye alive for longer and longer. This is where the book gets very strange and almost surreal. The writer continues to pull us in with the fact that this flower girl now wants to go to the city and meet people. It's all about her becoming more and more of a recognisable version of a person whilst also the reader knows that things are quite horrific. This is an excellent flair of the writer's talents.

I will definitely be looking out for more from this author from now on, this is a fantastic blend of magic, folklore, horror and more. The natural landscape is a character that blends in with the mythology the writer was clearly inspired by. I hope that if you too, enjoy folk horror then you will definitely consider picking up this book. It is one of those rare books where I definitely wish I had read it when I first bought it.