The Book Club Interview: Dua & Paul Murray Discuss His Novel, The Bee Sting 

For the Service95 Book Club, Dua Lipa meets Paul Murray, the author of her Monthly Read for February, The Bee Sting – an epic that follows the Barnes family, mother Imelda, father Dickie, 18-year-old Cass and 12-year-old PJ – as they face bankruptcy, broken marriages, and past mistakes, all while oblivious to the looming danger threatening to unravel everything.

In the interview, the two discuss the suffocating political and social structure of in 1990s Ireland and the corrosive secrets that can live within families. “If you grew up in the ’90s in Ireland, [it] was a theocracy,” says Paul in the interview. “[Ireland] was dominated by the church, it was very, very conservative. And to be gay... I mean, homosexuality was [only] decriminalised in 1993.” As Paul explains, “The whole family is founded on concealment. The parents have concealed how the marriage and how the family began... as a result of that, the kids themselves and Cass in particular feels this need to conceal who she is.”

Dua and Paul also delve into the book’s theme of loneliness during childhood. “I found it interesting, the relationship between Cass and Elaine,” says Dua. “Having been a teenage girl once and understanding the dynamics between friendships and wanting to be accepted... I really understand Cass’ perspective of how hard it is to let go of those relationships. But I did pretty much punch the air when Cass tells Elaine that she hates her. I found it so relatable.”

As for that nail-biting ending in the forest? “David Lynch talks about this,” says Paul. “[In] Twin Peaks, everybody thought they wanted to know who killed Laura Palmer. In actuality, once you discover who killed Laura Palmer, that’s sort of it – you know, it kills the momentum. So that mystery in some ways is more powerful than the solution.”

Watch Dua’s full interview with Paul here