Swapping between the perspectives of all four members of the Barnes family, “The Bee Sting” takes us through their downfall, vaguely reminiscent of a Faulkner epic. The 600+ pages flew by, never feeling like a slog or burrowing too deeply into an aside; everything felt relevant, in an omniscient way, and for good reason. It was a delight to inhabit the minds of the children, 12 year old PJ and high-school aged Cassie; inner turmoils and bombastic emotions that Murray depicts excellently. I completely understand why this was a finalist (and many people’s favorite) for the Booker Prize. I highly recommend and look forward to reading his earlier novel, “Skippy Dies.”