Little Bee by Chris Cleave

When I woke this morning, the temperature in Calgary was -16 and the ground was coated in snow.  It is an unusual thing for me, but I decided to make myself a pot of coffee and to crawl back into bed to read.  What a cozy and ‘magical’ experience!  Luxurious!  I finished a beautiful little book by Chris Cleave, Little Bee. 

The two voices, Sarah and Little Bee, both spoke to my heart.  The story was inspiring and filled with powerful description.  Little Bee’s recollections of both the passing of Kindness and Andrew are horrifying, but at the same time, poignant.  It was important that these images be shared with the reader in order to fully understand the soulful workings of both female characters.

I was intrigued by the ‘resting of the forehead against cool glass’ image.  It came up at least four times through the novel.  I’m wondering if the writer was conscious of that.  Because I liked and responded to the image the first time, I found it less than satisfactory that it came up again and then again.   I recommend Little Bee for those readers who want to zip through a meaningful novel, with roots in social commentary.  It captures the power of the human spirit and gives voice to the anonymous.