Miss Benson’s beetle. Joyce, Rachel. New York : Dial Press, [2020].

Content Warnings: Miscarriage, Suicide, Stalking, Death of a Parent, Aftermath of War

Set in 1950, Miss Benson’s Beetle is the story of a 46-year-old domestic arts teacher who realizes that she hates the person she has become and the life she is living.  So, she sells all her belongings and travels around the world to find what she has always dreamed of—the New Caledonian Golden Beetle—an insect that may or may not exist.  As you have probably already guessed, this is not your standard story of mid-life crisis, let alone historical fiction, and quiet, nervously polite Margery Benson with an encyclopedic knowledge of bugs, but little interest in human interaction is not your standard protagonist.

The zaniness only continues when Miss Benson is joined by Mrs. Enid Pretty, a shockingly blonde woman in a pink suit who seems like Margery’s complete opposite, flirting her way out of almost every situation and talking continuously through the rest.  She latches on to Miss Benson’s journey as her assistant, despite having little interest in New Caledonia or the beetle they are chasing.  Instead, Enid shows shocking displays of strength and desperately guards her heart-shaped valise.

Miss Benson’s Beetle is an adventure into finding yourself, into deep female friendship, and into the pervasive effects of World War II as only Rachel Joyce, the author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry could tell it.  The story gets more and more ridiculous as you continue to read it, adding a murder mystery, the story of a traumatized prisoner of war, a hurricane, and bickering high society politics.  However, it also becomes more human.  Margery looks in the mirror for the first time and likes what she sees.  She and Enid learn to appreciate each other for exactly who they are now, not what lies in their pasts.  They both find strength and kindness in the strangest places.

It is no wonder that Miss Benson’s Beetle is one of Graham’s Breakfast Book Club’s favorite reads from this year.  The book bursts with heart and, while it touches on dark, hard topics, it never stays with them long enough to make the reader feel hopeless, always bouncing back with humor and beauty and love.  This novel of historical discovery is a wild-ride worth going on.  Like Margery Benson, you will not be the same person at the end.

Rebecca Mincher is a Children’s Library Assistant at Graham Public Library.  She can be reached at rzimmerman@alamancelibraries.org.