The Murmer of Bees is a historical fiction novel written by Sofia Segovia that follows a family in Linares, Mexico, and the journey they have with a little boy who comes into their family after he is found under a bridge surrounded by a swarm of bees. The boy’s name is Simonopio and he has a clef deformity and is unable to speak. The townspeople of Linares label Simonopio as a devil, but his adoptive parents, Francisco and Beatriz Morale still bring him into their home like their own son. When Simonopio is around age ten, the Morales have a son named Francisco Junior. As Simonopio and Francisco Junior grow up together, they form an amazing connection and bond despite the age gap and communication barriers. Despite Simonopios’s physical inabilities, he is able to protect his family by predicting both good and bad endeavors through his senses.
The character development between Simonopio and Francisco Junior is my favorite aspect of the book. Although Simonopio is unable to speak, he still is able to connect and form a strong and unique bond with Francisco Junior. Readers can learn a lot from the relationship between these two very different individuals, although they are from different families, and cannot communicate- they still find ways to get along and help each other. As I read this book, I focused heavily on Simonpio’s identity. He was adopted into a family and was looked down upon by others in his town because of his inabilities. As I began reading I figured Simonopio would fit the character mold of a subaltern, as he was unable to speak and make his own story. As I read on, it was quite clear that Simonopio could speak, just in a way I hadn’t imagined would be possible, his way of communicating is what protected his family through tragedies occurring at the time. In the reading Recitaff, it was interesting to see how much someone without a voice can make an impact on other characters, I looked at Simonopio’s influence on his family and townspeople similar to Maggie from Recitaff. Although the two couldn’t speak, they had huge impacts on the people’s lives they were in. Simonopio is first abandoned and then welcomed into a world that fears and judges him for his differences, through his family’s support and personal embrace he defies the odds and is able to build a strong identity and protect the people he loves and leave a lasting impact. There are many things that can affect communication between two individuals, some being; cultural differences, language barriers, incapabilities, distance, and as seen in Simonopios life: not being able to speak- how does Sofía Segovia show readers that it is possible to communicate with anyone, no matter how similar or different, even when a voice can’t be heard, and what can this tell us about two individuals or cultures?
Segovia, Sofia. The Murmur of Bees. Amazon Publishing. 2015.