"When the men come........."

Little Bee by Chris Cleave

Whoever wrote up the description of this story on the inside jacket cover of this book should be fired from his/her job. Why Mr. Cleave allowed it in the first place is beyond me. That person managed to trivialize and almost seem whimsical what is, in fact, a tragic, sorrowful story of an event that affects the lives of a 16 year old Nigerian refugee, a British couple and their young son, Charlie, and how their lives intertwine. It's a story of the will to survive and to look beyond your fears to do so. At times humorous, it is overall a dark story and heart-breaking. I listened to this book (and happened to have the hard-cover at home too)....told in turn by Little Bee and by Sarah, the married British journalist whom Little Bee meets on a beach in Nigeria....the accents and narration were excellent. This story kept my interest right from the beginning. I'm glad I listened to many of friends who simply said "You've got to read Little Bee" and left it at that. Had I picked this book up at Border's without any recommendations beforehand and read the jacket, I would have put it back down on the shelf. Read this one!

Chris Cleave's other book, "Incendiary", is also an excellent read!!!!