Remember the Bees: A Novel

In an ancient Moroccan apiary, a young boy’s inheritance of bees is endangered by climate change, family secrets, and the silence surrounding grief.

High in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco, surrounded by valleys once rich with lavender and thyme, stands a centuries-old complex of communal beehives. Here, Anir’s dreams of becoming a beekeeper like his grandfather are realized when he is entrusted with his own colony—an inheritance and a responsibility far greater than he ever could have imagined.

In this idyllic place, the land is changing in disturbing ways. With temperatures soaring, flowers disappear and springs run dry. As the bees struggle to survive, Anir begins to uncover hidden fractures within his own family. His father has left for the city to earn money and secure a future that feels increasingly distant. His mother is trapped in a mysterious illness—or perhaps a curse—that reduces her voice to a single lullaby and a piercing cry that echoes through the village. Guided by the stories of his beloved grandfather, Anir delves deeper into the mysteries of his family’s past and eventually comes to understand how the fate of the bees and the land are inseparable from it. What once filled the valley with music now demands healing, memory, and courage.

The luminous debut in English by award-winning Moroccan author Zineb Mekouar, Remember the Bees is a deeply empathetic novel—a revelatory parable about inheritance, loss, and the fragile bonds that hold families and communities together.