Book Description 

The whole world rested on a single bee’s wings…until that last honeybee died, and the balance of the universe tipped. Now, famine and war rage across the land. People are no longer allowed to read or create art. They are forbidden to believe in the existence of love.

Like every other girl, Jess has been taken from her home to live in a government dormitory, where they are forced to pollinate crops by hand with brushes. But unlike the others, Jess knows how to read and paint—and she knows that brushes aren’t meant for pollinating.

Jess is her mother’s daughter, with a strong streak of rebellion that even the harshest punishment can’t stamp out. She knows there is something horribly wrong with this system built on the hard labor of young girls, a system that forces them to marry and have children as soon as they are able. With smuggled paints and brush in hand, can Jess inspire a revolution?

My Review 

Dystopian fiction was all the rage in YA-lit around twenty years ago, but it seems to be less popular in recent years, although the continuing saga of the most famous series in the genre helps maintain its popularity. 

But we’re not here to talk about that today. 

This book has clearly been influenced by The Handmaid’s Tale, and I don’t mean that as an insult. There’s a climate change angle to the plot wherein the young women have to pollinate flowers by hand (well, brush) because all the bees are dead. When they become fertile, they are married off. It should be noted that malnutrition has delayed well past the current average age, although still not over the age of majority. It should also be noted that this is a YA book, so nothing is too overtly explicit.  

Over the course of the book, protagonist Jess finds the courage to overcome the oppressive system under which she lives. It is incredibly dangerous and the stakes are high, but the alternative is unimaginable. Some plot elements were a bit predictable, but that may have been because I’m older than the target demographic. I did find one particular part of the denouement to be unexpectedly satisfying, however. 

I would recommend The Danger of Small Things. Chef’s kiss for the absolute gem of a title. I think this book will appeal mostly to the target demographic but also to fans of the dystopian genre. I’m going to keep an eye out for more from Lewis in the future. 

I received a digital ARC of this book from Simon and Schuster/NetGalley.