I was hooked from the first line of Little Bee, “Most days I wish I was a British Pound coin instead of an African Girl. Everyone would be pleased to see me coming.” Such a sad beginning to a story that is not only sad at times, sweet at times but even political at times. I loved this book.
The story begins in a refugee center just outside of London. We meet Little Bee there and learn that she is about to be released from the center. We yearn to find out why she is there. In the next part of the story, we meet Sarah, a woman who is dealing with the recent suicide of her husband. She also has a four-year-old son, Charlie, who she is trying to help get through the loss of his father as well.
Little Bee shows up on Sarah’s doorstep with her late husband’s driver’s license — a very intriguing beginning to the women’s connection. We discover that two years earlier, Little Bee, Sarah and her husband met on a beach in Nigeria. The book builds up to the story of the incident in which Sarah and Little Bee cross paths on the beach. We also learn all about the oil trade in Nigeria and how dangerous areas in that country are because of the oil. I must admit that I knew nothing about Nigeria having oil and the horrible things that have happened to the people of Nigeria because of it. I also must admit that when Sarah and Little Bee recount the horrific tale of their meeting, I was reading it at night and had to put the book down for fear of having nightmares – so I read it first thing in the morning. I don’t want to give too much away here…
Little Bee arriving on Sarah’s doorstep seems to be trouble at first but quickly turns into salvation for everyone – Sarah, Little Bee and Charlie.
The author uses the first person narrative throughout the story and alternates chapters between Sarah’s voice and Little Bee’s.
I found this a very easy read all the way through. I really couldn’t put it down and when I had to, I found myself still thinking of the characters. I was a little disappointed in the ending, though, and would be happy to discuss it with others who have finished the book.
I really enjoying reading books that take me to places I have not been before. I love when books introduce me to topics that I do not know much about – in this case, Nigeria and the oil trade there. This book helps the reader become more aware of what is happening in a part of the world that we don’t know much about. It also points out how little we are doing to stop the tragedies there. We, the readers, are like Sarah in that we start off unfamiliar with Nigeria and by the end, want to learn more about how we can help the refugees from there.
All in all, a very interesting read, and one that I am sure readers will enjoy.
I would have to agree this was a wonderful book, in so many ways. Great review!
I too was disappointed in the ending because it seems so incomplete. It’s not that I need to have everything tied up in a neat package but just that it seemed to stop “mid thought.” But maybe any ending would seem incomplete because I so wanted to stay in Little Bee’s life and to see her triumph in life as well as in spirit. I wanted the ending to be different.
Good review – you didn’t give away anything yet captured the essence of the story.
I too loved the book and thought it was a great review. I hated the ending but felt it was very powerful and meaningful and although what Little Bee did was not an expected or typical human reaction to the events at hand it was realistic and full of meaning and hope. Laurie reacted just as I did, hooked at the first sentence; the writing was fabulous; the expression of the emotions of the various characters, especially of Little Bee and Sarah was so beautifully written. Great book club book.