Fearsome Firsts: Horror Fiction from Debut Authors

摘要

In THE HONEY FARM, by Harriet Alida Lye (Lweright: Norton. Jun. 2018. ISBN 9781631494345. $25.95; ebk. ISBN 9781743773208), Sylvia, an aspiring poet from an oppressive evangelical family, and Ibrahim, a talented painter who needs more room for his art, meet on an isolated bee farm run by the enigmatic Cynthia, who is trying to keep her operation going through a crippling drought by offering artists all-inclusive retreats in exchange for free labor. Through Sylvia's skewed eyes, readers watch as she matures and falls in love but also describes escalating, unsettling occurrences reminiscent of biblical plagues. The unease and anxiety build relentlessly as artists leave and Cynthia's hold on those who remain tightens.