This is a book that I have been meaning to read for about a year now. It has received such positive reviews, and the book description presented it as a novel with so much mystery and a plot that will change the reader's life. After reading it, I feel that the book was slightly misrepresented. It is much different than the intriguing mystery that it is presented as, dealing with international politics, globalization, the plight of the refugee, and our own self-centric views in the developed world. Chris Cleave is a master writer, who weaves together two different female narratives (a Nigerian refugee and a citizen of Great Britain) to form one cohesive story.
What was most disconcerting to me as a reader, however, was the lack of emotional investment that I felt. Although Little Bee and her English counterpart, Sarah, deal with truly horrific events, they were narrated so matter of factly that they did not have much emotional impact. Maybe because the book deals with such tragic happenings, the only way for the narrator and the reader to get through it successfully is with an element of distance. So while I did not feel emotionally tied to either of the main characters, Little Bee did leave me reflecting on our society's treatment of refugees and willfull ignorance of things happening outside of our own safe environment.
Honestly, my favorite part of this book is the imagery and word choice that Cleave chooses. For example:
"Learning the Queen's English is like scrubbing off the bright red varnish from your toenails, the morning after a dance. It takes a long time and there is always a little bit left at the end, a stain of red along the growing edges to remind you of the good time you had. So, you can see that learning came slowly to me." - Little Bee by Chris Cleave, p. 3His ability to switch between two distinct narrators and his vivid descriptions/examples were very impressive and kept me interested in the unfolding story.
This sounds like it might be a possible extra credit reading option for my class for second semester - do you think teens would enjoy it, or is it more for an older demographic?
ReplyDeleteMy gut reaction would be that there are a few scenes meant for a more "mature audience" (e.g. a rape scene, suicide, murder, etc.). But I'll let you borrow my copy to skim through. Sadly, I feel a little out of touch... and I don't know what is actually considered appropriate for a high school demographic. There are definitely some themes that may be over their heads... but I think most of the best books I read in high school were over my head on some level.
ReplyDeleteRape, suicide, murder... all narrated without emotional attachment. Sounds like a winner. Of course, I haven't read it myself, so I can't judge. Did you see "Ruined" at the La Jolla Playhouse? Definitely worth watching, and likely dealing with similar themes. I was emotionally invested, cried even.
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