In 1993 Sue Monk Kidd started a short story that would eventually become The Secret Life of Bees novel. She had not been writing long but she still had confidence in her writing. After a while she read the short story at the National Arts Club in New York. After that experience she decided to turn the Short Story into a Novel. It took over 3 years to complete the Novel.
PLOT SUMMARY: (CHAPTERS 9-14)
This section of the story,Lily has came to this city knowing no one but Rosaleen who tagged along. She was on a mission to find out any possible fact or information on her mother, an she did just that. Everything around her was signs of her mother even down to the bee's, she did know what the purpose of the bees where but as she quoted in the first paragraph "Its like they where sent to me". Staying with the sisters really gave Lily a chance to feel the love she has always wanted and a mother figure, she had three women around her that could be a mother to her. This meant a lot to Lily and she know where she belongs an it there with all her "mothers".
CHARACTER: T. Ray is a cruel man who pays little attention to Lily aside from yelling at her and disciplining her harshly. T. Ray makes Lily’s life miserable and will not tell her anything about her mother except that Lily was responsible for her death.
Zach works for August. Zach is African American and Lily develops a crush on him, even though Zach tells her that nothing can happen between them. Zach goes to jail for a short time when he will not admit which of his friends was involved in an altercation with some white men. Eventually Zach is released and gives Lily her first kiss