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mcreed06 's review for:
Little Bee
by Chris Cleave
How did I miss this engrossing novel when my 3B Book Club read it several years ago? Published in 2008, Little Bee served a purpose; instilling genuine compassion for refugees. Such is the power of stories.
I particularly enjoyed the Author Q&A at the end of the novel. Christopher Cleave wrote, "Life is savagely unfair. It ignores our deep-seated convictions and places a disproportionate emphasis on the decisions we make in split seconds."
I like that he put "savagely" in there because it is the strongest word to express how unfair life gets.
Cleave, who is British, also wrote that Americans are going to understand this story quicker than a lot of British people will. "You have an extraordinary history of immigrants coming to America - either forcibly or voluntarily- and striving to find their place within it…This is a story that is written deep in your national identity, and my own country would be better off if we took a page out of your book."
When Cleave wrote this in the past decade, was it from a scholarly admiration of U.S. History, or an attempt to brown nose Americans into buying his book? (We Americans do like to be flattered) Either way, little did Cleave know what was coming just around the corner for America; a decade ridden by internal strife in which immigration was a polarizing topic that pitted American against American in public discourse. Lest we forget, United States of America, the greatest country, was built by people with Little Bee’s essence.
That is why the ending was just unbearable.
A few plot- related questions, though…
1. If Andrew was not going to chop his own finger off, why didn't he hold on to the machete to defend himself, his wife and the girls? While he was at it, why didn't he make a split second decision attempt to grab the guard's gun before the goon had a chance to react? In the most dangerous of circumstances when death seems imminent, aggressively fighting back makes for better odds of survival.
2. When Charlie went missing, did that despicable Lawrence purposely give the phone to Little Bee, and demand she call the police, knowing that it would inevitably lead to deportation for her? Further yet, did he somehow stage Charlie’s disappearance to manipulate that situation?
3. Forget research for a book. Forget collecting stories for the time being. Forget a sentimental excursion to coastal Nigeria. Highest priority should have been squaring everything away legally for Little Bee. Resources of time and money needed to go towards immigration lawyers, and getting through the complex immigration process for Little Bee. Only when Little Bee’s status was secured would it be safe to research, to collect stories and to confront the past.
I particularly enjoyed the Author Q&A at the end of the novel. Christopher Cleave wrote, "Life is savagely unfair. It ignores our deep-seated convictions and places a disproportionate emphasis on the decisions we make in split seconds."
I like that he put "savagely" in there because it is the strongest word to express how unfair life gets.
Cleave, who is British, also wrote that Americans are going to understand this story quicker than a lot of British people will. "You have an extraordinary history of immigrants coming to America - either forcibly or voluntarily- and striving to find their place within it…This is a story that is written deep in your national identity, and my own country would be better off if we took a page out of your book."
When Cleave wrote this in the past decade, was it from a scholarly admiration of U.S. History, or an attempt to brown nose Americans into buying his book? (We Americans do like to be flattered) Either way, little did Cleave know what was coming just around the corner for America; a decade ridden by internal strife in which immigration was a polarizing topic that pitted American against American in public discourse. Lest we forget, United States of America, the greatest country, was built by people with Little Bee’s essence.
That is why the ending was just unbearable.
A few plot- related questions, though…
1. If Andrew was not going to chop his own finger off, why didn't he hold on to the machete to defend himself, his wife and the girls? While he was at it, why didn't he make a split second decision attempt to grab the guard's gun before the goon had a chance to react? In the most dangerous of circumstances when death seems imminent, aggressively fighting back makes for better odds of survival.
2. When Charlie went missing, did that despicable Lawrence purposely give the phone to Little Bee, and demand she call the police, knowing that it would inevitably lead to deportation for her? Further yet, did he somehow stage Charlie’s disappearance to manipulate that situation?
3. Forget research for a book. Forget collecting stories for the time being. Forget a sentimental excursion to coastal Nigeria. Highest priority should have been squaring everything away legally for Little Bee. Resources of time and money needed to go towards immigration lawyers, and getting through the complex immigration process for Little Bee. Only when Little Bee’s status was secured would it be safe to research, to collect stories and to confront the past.