It`s the start of another school year at St Ambrose. But while the children are in the classroom colouring in, their mothers are learning sharper lessons on the other side of the school gates. Lessons in friendship. Lessons in betrayal. Lessons in the laws of community, the transience of power...and how to get invited to lunch. Beatrice
- undisputed queen bee. Ruler, by Divine Right, of all school fund-raising, this year, last year &, surely, for many years to come. Heather
- desperate to volunteer, desperate to be noticed, desperate just to belong. Georgie
- desperate for a fag. & Rachel
- watching them all, keeping her distance. But soon to discover that the line between amused observer & miserable outcast is a thin one. Wickedly funny & brilliantly observed, The Hive is a fascinating & subtle story about group politics & female friendship. From the joys & perils (well, mainly perils) of the Lunch Ladder, to the military operation that is the Car Boot Sale, via the dos & don`ts of dressing your child as a Dalek, all human life is here.