Little Bee

A friend recommended this book to me and suggested (as does the book jacket) that there is some big secret or mystery at the end that could not be revealed. This book was a lovely, almost poetic work, but it hardly needs a marketing ploy to keep the reader turning pages. Chris Cleave is simply a magical writer.

This is the kind of story which is almost impossible to get through because you can imagine the horrors that are perpetuated upon children in Nigeria pretty easily. You know that although this is a work of fiction--the rapes and murders are hardly fictitious.

So take a deep breath and read about Little Bee who escapes the madness, finds refuge in a detention center and then finds a place to call home in England. Read about the woman who she meets on a beach in Nigeria and the horrifying incident that draws them together.

I kept re-reading the end to see if I had missed something. I can often read too quickly and miss important plot points...did something twisty happen while I was thinking about white skin and dark skin together on a beach in Nigeria? I don't think so.

So, I recommend Little Bee. It is not beach reading but a thoughtful Saturday afternoon read. It goes fast--but you will note some very beautiful images and moving passages throughout. Let me know what you think of the ending...