Erick Satiawan's Of Bees and Mist - Reviewed by Tara Poole

This is a tale of women, blending aural traditions with demons and ghosts, together with the ever-present pressures of family. Saturated in myth and legend, Erick Satiawan’s debut novel follows the phantasmagorical life of Meridia as she grows up in a complicated house with her distant mother, Ravenna, speaking in tongues and her possessed father, Gabriel, who disappears every night shrouded in mist. The story centres on Meridia and we track her life as she falls in love and marries the enigmatic, yet uncomplicated Daniel, bringing her up close with the schemingly powerful Eva, Daniel’s mother. Throughout it all Meridia must make sense of the ghostly powers that surround her, and divine answers about her family’s past.

This is a novel about the power of women, the magic of mothers, and their hold over family and society. Setiawan’s language is steeped in folklore. He has been imprinted with stories reflecting his complicated upbringing which, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, is “a trifold identity struggle - born in Jakarta, Indonesia, to Chinese parents, where he lived before immigrating to the United States at age 16”.

We see his folklore heritage in every character - every woman has a connection to the spirits, whether it be using bees and fireflies, flowers and scent to their advantage – and in Setiawan’s acknowledgement of the power of gossip and how it can be used to destroy as well as build.

Meridia’s life is lived in an unnamed magical town, where mystics, faith healers, doctors of the occult, prophets, exorcists, flagellants and fortune-tellers are commonplace. As if to reflect this mystical environment, Setiawan’s language is layered and dense, giving a sensation of eating too-rich food. His flourishes are heavy and you are often left with little understanding of the motivations of the characters, or how they came to possess such powerful skills.

The roles of the men are reduced to being pawns at the hands of women, infected with their curses. In Eva’s case she uses bees on hapless men such her husband Elias, compelling him to undertake distasteful tasks which he would never agree to under his own will. This is unfortunate as it means we never get a clear view of the men in Setiawan’s novel as they are shrouded by the women.

Meridia and Eva are the two main protagonists of this tale, and the story is a battle of their wills to control their families. There are dramatic conflicts of demons and ghosts, summoned by the women to turn the minds of others. Meridia must find herself through this coming-of-age tale, hold on to her sanity and understand her past as she comes under constant attack from her mother-in-law. This plot keeps the story on track, even in the face of distracting sub-characters including a madly rutting pig beast who masquerades as a foreigner and an invisible best friend.

However Setiawan’s touching scenes of love and loss are gently played out. There are moments of painful clarity when Meridia must turn against the man she loves, recognizing that he will never be free from the iron grip of his mother. This tale of release, longing and pain does hold its own in the end.

Reviewer Bio:

An avid reader of fiction, Tara’s diet includes everything from Amy Hempel to Zadie Smith. She has a passion for a well turned word, and a voracious appetite for a whacking good story. Her last great read was Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson, but holds a special place for Vernon God Little by DBC Pierre. Like most good readers of fiction TeeKayP believes she’s got “Australia’s next great novel” in her brain waiting to come out. Until then she’ll just manage and run a PR agency. Well, it pays the bills.