Book: The Secret Life of Bees

I sat in Starbucks this evening and read this book for nearly an hour. I'm not even done with it yet but I have to tell you about it. It follows a young girl, Lily, and her search for her mother.

There were plenty of moments through out the book that made me gasp. How often does a book take your breath away in a single sentence? I was reading quietly, absorbed in the story, and then suddenly... *GASP*. Kidd, the author, took me by surprise with a few simple words.

There's one particular line in the book that is repeated over and over. I'm not giving anything away when I share this, yet it moved me particularly:

Lily Melissa Owens, your jar is open.

I keep thinking about that, and wondering how many times in our lives we've heard that whisper. Like a firefly kept behind glass, suddenly feeling a dash of wind above its wings, coming from somewhere bigger than the nail hole poked open for air. The jar is open.

I'm not even done with the book yet.

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Aug.13 EDIT: I finished the book tonight. I text-messaged my mom (who gave it to me) and wrote: This is one of the best books I have ever read.