Miss Benson's Beetle by Rachel Joyce #Review

A new novel by Rachel Joyce is a real treat. Miss Benson's Beetle was published by Doubleday on July 23rd. Here are a few opinions to whet your appetite.

“Rachel Joyce is a masterful storyteller. She has written the perfect book for these times. Funny, perceptive and life-enhancing. I urge you to read it.” -Sarah Winman

“This book is far more than an unexpected adventure, it's a beautiful portrayal of female friendship in all its frailties, contradictions and strengths. It made me think we all have the power to be so much more than we imagine when we cut the chains of expectation” –Raynor Winn, author of The Salt Path

“What a special, delicious and funny novel. Richly satisfying.”   -Patrick Gale

It is 1950, two unlikely women set off on a hare-brained adventure to the other side of the world to try and find a beetle ,and in doing so discover friendship and how to be their best of themselves.This is quintessential Joyce: at once poignant and playful, with huge heart and the same resonance, truth and lightness of touch as her phenomenally successful debut, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold  Fry.

Britain, post Second World War. In a moment of madness  Margery Benson abandons her sensible job and advertises for an assistant to accompany her on an expedition. She is going to travel to the other side of the world to search for a beetle that may or may not exist.

Enid Pretty, in pink hat and pompom sandals, is not the companion she had in mind. But together they will find themselves drawn into an ad-venture that exceeds all expectations.  They must risk everything, break all the rules, but at the top of a red mountain they will discover who they truly are, and how to be the best of themselves.

This is a novel that is less about what can be found than the belief it might be found; it is an intoxicating adventure story but it is also about what it means to be a woman and a tender exploration of a friendship that defies all boundaries.

“The differences between them – all those things she’d once found so infuriating – she now accepted. Being Enid’s friend meant there were always going to be surprises. However close they were it didn’t entitle her to Enid’s memories and neither did it allow her to be part of Enid’s life before they met. Being a friend meant accepting those unknowable things. It was by placing herself side by side with Enid that Margery had finally begun to see the true outline of herself. And she knew it now: Enid was her friend.”

My Thoughts

What an absolute pleasure to be able to settle down with a Rachel Joyce story, to meet her new characters and see where they take you. I was slightly surprised to realise that we were going to go all the way to the other side of the world, to New Caledonia, in search of a golden beetle. Margery, though, has been thinking of this all her life and quietly gaining the skills she needs to fulfil her wish. Set in the 1950's, the story has a quirky charm that suits the period perfectly. All the characters are so individually crafted. Their personalities are distinct, so that you can absolutely picture them as independent thinkers and doers.

    At first, I concentrated on Margery and her story but of course, it became clear that this quest wasn't just hers. The unlikely relationship between Margery and Enid seems so impossible at first but as it turns out, this is a book about the nature of friendship, especially between women. They both have things in their lives at home which they want to avoid. In Margery's case, you feel her sadness at how her life has panned out. Enid turns out to have several secrets she is hiding. There are some genuinely funny parts to this story but also, some touching and ultimately life-affirming moments. One of my favourite reads this year, it stands up to scrutiny alongside the peerless The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold  Fry.

In short: Heart-warming yet poignant.

About the Author

Rachel Joyce is the author of the Sunday  Times and international bestsellers The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry , Perfect, The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy , The Music Shop and a collection of interlinked short stories, A Snow Garden & Other Stories. Her books have been translated into thirty -six languages and two are in development for film.

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of  Harold Fry was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Book prize and longlisted for the ManBooker Prize. Rachel was awarded the Specsavers National Book Awards ‘NewWriter of theYear’ in December 2012 and shortlisted for the‘UK Author of the Year’ 2014. Rachel was a Costa prize judge and University Big Read author in 2019.

She has also written over twenty original afternoon plays and adaptations of the classics for BBC Radio 4 ,including all the Bronte novels. She moved to writing after a long career as an actor, performing leading roles for the RSC, the National Theatre and Cheek by Jowl. She lives with her family in Gloucestershire.

Book link: Amazon UK

Thanks to Rachel Joyce, Doubleday and Anne Cater of Random Things Tour for a copy of the book and a place on the tour.

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