Bee and Jacky

by Carolyn Coman

The stunning new novel from Newbery Honor winner Carolyn Years after the return of their seriously wounded father from Vietnam, 13-year-old Bee Cooney and her older brother, Jacky, still bear their own scars--the result of a childhood spent entangled with each other as they fought to cope with their losses. The memories have not faded. On Labor Day weekend, when their parents are away, Bee and Jacky return to the shameful games of their childhood--and destroy, then transform, their lives. With mastery and grace, multiple award-winner Carolyn Coman has created a novel that looks deep into the heart of one particular family. "Proves Coman's extraordinary talent for creating complex images with simple words and her remarkable ability to elicit sympathy for all the characters...A fierce, intriguing novel, not easily forgotten." --Booklist "Brilliantly written...This is neither an easy book to read nor does it suggest any neat resolutions. What Coman does offer, masterfully, is honesty, compassion, and even a glimmer of hope." --School Library Journal

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction

101 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Carolyn Coman (born 1951 in Evanston near Chicago) is a writer of children's books living in South Hampton, New Hampshire. Her books What Jamie Saw (1995) and Many Stones (2000) were nominated for several awards.

She worked as a bookbinder from 1975-84 and later as an editor with Heinemann before she became a full-time writer. Her books include the portrait documentary of the debut, and a picture book before 4 novels for young adults from 1993 to 2000. Her two latest books (2004 and 2007), for middle grade readers, combine humor, investigation and a sense of nostalgia.

Her four young adult novels are described as “she explores the darker sides of growing up: dealing with parent's abandonment through death in Tell Me Everything, abuse by a stepparent in What Jamie Saw, sibling incest in Bee and Jacky and a political-inspired tragedy in Many Stones.” Many Stones was inspired by the murder of Amy Biehl.

Her book What Jamie Saw (1995) was short-listed for the Newbery Medal and National Book Award, it was also nominated for Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award. Many Stones (2000) was a National Book Award finalist, won the Michael L. Printz Award and were listed among School Library Journal's Best Books of The Year.

Reviews

[Shinaka · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the most gorgeous books I've ever read. And it's a shame it hasn't been reviewed yet here, despite being out for quite a while.

Coman employs especially spare writing in Bee + Jacky but that contributes to the book's strength as you devour its 100-and-slightly-more pages, trying to peel back the layers of meaning behind Bee's hallucinations, Jacky's advances on his sister, and Bee's erratic behavior as the weekend wears on. Simple imagery as opposed to long, drawn-out descriptions and discussions about metaphysics and symbology always tells the tale better, good writers know. It makes the reader have to draw their own conclusions rather than just having them dictated to them by the author, which does not make for enlightening reading. And with the issues the book touches upon, the book's simple language serves to draw the reader to continue reading, to begin thinking, and to exult in the power of the English language to enthrall even at its most basic.

If this review doesn't make a whit of sense, it's understandable. The book is simply too hard to encapsulate in just a couple of paragraphs. So read the book and simply - enjoy.

[super secret sexy bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reflecting on this book left me in tears. Trigger warning ****


Review below



This book follows a girl named Bee, who is raped repeatedly by her older brother and groomed into having a physical relationship with him although he is her sibling. Told from her perspective, Bee lacks the know how to stand up for herself or understand what is happening, meanwhile Jacky describes everything to her as a war game that they must play. They have a perfunctory relationship with their dysfunctional parents, as their father is a veteran and unable to feed himself and their mother is emotionally unavailable. Towards the end of the book, Jacky shares his decision to enlist.

The story made me think about a lot of the elements that came together here: the child abuse/neglect, the patriarchy Bee lives under, the role violence/brutalization has played in the lives of this family, and their lack of a relationship with one another. Bee is clearly a victim, who as a child will carry these wounds into adulthood. I also thought about how much children like Bee need feminism to let these stories be heard and unrepeated. The dehumanization faced by trauma survivors (also when the children are making faces at their disabled dad over dinner) limits the path to full recovery and rehabilitation as well as revealing just how emotionally and psychologically stunted the ability of their abusers to understand them is. Feminism embraces this story of a female journey into being as part of the human experience, and creates the support systems necessary for survivors to adapt to and thrive in an environment without trauma. This story may be fictitious but it reflects the experience of girls and women around the globe who have no way to escape abuse.

Being truly young is an irreplaceable experience, and losing years of my life to trauma (as a teen and in my 20s) after being objectified, sexualised, assaulted incessantly and harassed into attempting suicide (all for being a victim who tried to report what i had been through) made me think about how despite our age, all who were born in a female body and choose to stay alive for the whole of their lives will always carry the same wound of being hurt by the patriarchy. My heart just aches thinking about the main character, Bee, and all the “ungrowing and unlearning” she would have to do to really reveal and heal from all the hurt her family has caused her.

[Fish Magee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting. Short but engrossing, the author does a great job of using a narrator's ignorance to her narrative advantage. My leg was bouncing nervously as I read it, but I'm glad I did.

[Lala · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powerful, short and to the point this is a story that will leave a lasting impression.

In this book Coman portrays Bee's conflicting emotions ~ love, fear, shame, arousal, and anger ~ with absolute beauty and sparse, incisive prose. A story not to be missed. A little too short for my liking...these are characters I would have enjoyed delving into further. I do feel, however that Coman accomplishes in only 100 pages what another author might have dragged on for several. There isn't a neatly wrapped up ending, but there is realization, hope and a lightness to be found.

"Bee and Jacky looked at each other across the table while their mother went on talking. 'I gotta go,' he said, only to Bee. 'I have to get out of here,' he pleaded, close to crying, and like he was begging her to see. She did see: her brother sitting across from her, grinding his teeth to keep his chin from trembling. She saw him clawing his way up and out of frigid water, striking out at everything, wild. She saw that they were ALL hurt ~ not just her, not just in wars, whether it showed on their bodies or not. She remembered Jacky's back, crying, she remembered him in her bedroom, herself in his. She remembered how she had felt standing naked on the cement slab, before the weight had lifted. Bee nodded. 'Yeah,' she said, 'I know."

[Brittany · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was very very confusing and odd, i enjoyed it, but in the end I'm a still a little confused. If anyone truly and completly understood this book please explain it to me. i did like the imagery though and it was easy to see how she was feeling.You can see a shift in the characters even thought I didn't see any real turning point, the book seemed rushed, without to much indepth backround. Like wearing a blind fold with only the tiniest pinprick of an eyehole.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

A quick read, only 100 pages or so. I love books dated between 1970-1995 due to the lack of technology references and the kind of "The Wonder Years" feel. This book was interesting but I feel I was missing something. I feel maybe I need to read it a second time. I did enjoy it, the family dynamic was sad and confusing and Bee is a very interesting character.

I do recommend it and will read some reviews on it to see other readers takes.

[Kristin Fletcher-spear · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bee and Jacky are brother and sister--and in the past they've been incestuous. The book covers one weekend when they confront their past and histories in their own way.

A bit odd. The writing style is vague and feels like Bee looks at life through a veil of sorts. A little crazy. Jacky has anger and lots of it. Very short and to the point. And very fast to read.

[Ranysha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not surprised no one has ready this book. It's a bit too gritty and dark, but incest happens people. No one really wants to admit they read something like this, but I like the obscure and fiction that's on the edge. If you like it too, you'll like this book. Quick read, quick theme. Makes you think, but not too much.

[Joseph Ruiz]

This book is about a young sister trying to understand and become closer to her older brother while their parents are out of town. Although this book might seem very short and boring, it wasn't much so. I believe that it was a great, short book, because of the detail. I would recommend this book to any high school student needing a good, short book to read.

[Jada · Rating 3 out of 5]

this novella, was creepy. also, extremely upsetting, as someone who suffered the same abuse as bee, it was super triggering, but also extremely beautifully written, because i related to how she felt and it was scarily gorgeous in a way.
4/5 stars

[Karla Strand · Rating 4 out of 5]

Difficult subject matter is eloquently presented by Coman. A well-written book, quick read.

[Connie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Incest between brother and sister, Vietnam era.

[Alison]

This is a hard one, content-wise. Sibling sexual abuse.

[Mario Pimental · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh, not impressed. Awkward to read.

[Salsabrarian]

Bee appears to be recovering from the incestuous games she and her brother played when they were younger. Not for me!!!

[Narpreet]

In the book Bee and Jacky there's a brother and sister who are seeking for comfort and love from their parents. The family is suppose to be going on a planned family trip and now that the son Jacky recently had a birthday and is old enough to make decisions of his own. The brother and sister have a weird relationship with each other. The younger sister is trying to get closer to her younger brother because their more in a awkward brother sister relationship but trying to fix it while their parents are out of town. The book is very short but is very interesting and eye catching.