The Color of Bee Larkham's Murder: A Novel
A boy with synesthesia--a condition that causes him to see colors when he hears sounds--tries to uncover what happened to his beautiful new neighbor--and if he was ultimately responsible in this "compelling and emotionally charged mystery that warrants comparisons to Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" (Library Journal). In this highly original "fantastic debut" (Publishers Weekly, starred review), thirteen-year-old Jasper Wishart lives in a world of dazzling color that no one else can see, least of all his dad. Words, numbers, days of the week, people's voices--everything has its own unique shade. But recently Jasper has been haunted by a color he doesn't like or understand: the color of murder. Convinced he's done something terrible to his neighbor, Bee Larkham, Jasper revisits the events of the last few months to paint the story of their relationship from the very beginning. As he struggles to untangle the knot of untrustworthy memories and colors that will lead him to the truth, it seems that there's someone else out there determined to stop him--at any cost. Full of page-turning suspense and heart-wrenching poignancy--as well as plenty of humor--The Color of Bee Larkham's Murder is "completely original and impossible to predict" (Benjamin Ludwig, author of Ginny Moon) with a unique hero who will stay with you long after you turn the last page.
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Community Reviews
"It's important to tell the truth, even when it scares you".
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A murder mystery written through the eyes of 13 year old Jasper who has Synaethesia. Jasper and his neighbour Bee become unlikely friends and bond over their streets local Parakeets. The rest of the residents on the street veiw both Bee and the Parakeets as a nuisance.
But when Bee disappears, Jasper is convinced that he himself had killed her although as the reader, its difficult to ascertain when, how or why.
And can we as the reader actually trust Jasper and his recollection of events?
An interesting and probably unique read in which I struggled with at the beginning. The narrative style is a little bit to and fro - jumping from a mixture of flash backs and current time.
But perseverance paid off. I finally got used to the difference between present and past time lines and eventually enjoyed sinking into this book.
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