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. Don’t miss out on the unbelievable but true story of Michael Sutherland!
Summer of the Bees is a profoundly touching book that dispels the deceptive veil of ignorance, which so many of us insist on shrouding ourselves in and which, sadly, has us take the gift of our lives for granted. By Andy Sutherland, Summer of the Bees accounts the soul-destroying trials a family is put through at the power of one of humanities most devastatingly invasive and destructive diseases.
A Parent’s Nightmare
In early March 2003, Michael Sutherland is delivered to Andy and Kerry Sutherland, who have been blessed with the fulfilment of a dream that almost every couple has. However, merely eight months later, the ideal of this brand new family life is twisted into the hell of a parent’s most frightening nightmare when baby Michael is diagnosed with a very rare and very malignant form of brain tumour.
It is the tormenting months that follow this which Andy Sutherland has captured so movingly in his memoir; and in its pages one bares witness to the unbelievable strength and endurance of a tiny infant, and the ruthless physical and emotional war that has to be fought in the attempt to save his life.
Not Artistic but Wonderfully Written
For lack of a better or more sensitive description, Summer of the Bees is spectacularly readable; and subject matter aside, Sutherland manages to relay his son’s story in a manner that is almost literally liquid-like. It is difficult to pinpoint the exact magic of the style; like most non-fiction books the writing cannot, in all honesty, be thought of as artistic. Striking descriptions of scent and weather and texture won’t be found. It is simply not that type of book; the purpose of the story is not fanciful writing but the essence of the ordeal of childhood cancer.
And questions of artistry notwithstanding, the memoir is written superbly. The pace of the story is absolutely perfect and there is not a single page in the book which impresses on the reader sluggishness or meandering waffle. Every sentence put down keeps the reader steadily going, as one paragraph slips effortlessly into another. The writing is simple, but never has the sense of being simplistic; and Sutherland is not an amateur writer who secures himself within the confines of sentences that are no more than ten words long.
Michael Sutherland’s Voice
What makes Summer of the Bees all the more distinct is the unexpected voice of Michael, himself. In what is perhaps the most poignant aspect of the book, Sutherland has given his sick infant son his own input, and one is not only told the story about Michael, but by Michael as well. Obviously certain liberties must be taken with regard to the viewpoint of an eight-month-old child, but Sutherland gives as authentic a perspective as possible, and one finds oneself no less affected by Michael’s telling than by his father’s.
Power in Truth
The ultimate power of the book lies in the truth given that cannot be avoided by the reader. ‘Cancer’ is a word one hears of often, but which is regarded as no more than a concept by the healthy. Sutherland’s book reveals the actual vulnerability of life, its fragility as well as its beauty, and makes one that much more appreciative of what one has. The pain and anguish and the constant threat of death that the Sutherland family encounter within the Childhood Haematology and Oncology Clinic (CHOC) serves as a powerful pointer that cancer is not just something that happens to other people.
Summer of the Bees is nothing less than wonderful, and is a book which should be treasured – as a reminder of the importance of appreciating life, and as a tool of comfort and sense of companionship for those who are battling forward to reach the road to recovery.
