Little Bee

Little Bee, By Chris Cleave. This book was different. I read a lot of English authors. The humor is different, the themes are different, the vocab is different. There is often a very subtle underlying meaning that takes some work to figure out. Sometimes I really get it and sometimes I don't. I almost always enjoy them. Little Bee is about about a girl from Nigeria that winds up in a detention center for people trying to enter England without papers. She is a unique, electrifying character. She says what most people only think but would never say out loud. She is wise beyond her years and speaks from her heart. Little Bee witnessed atrocities in her village and now is on the run to find freedom. Her only hope is and English couple she met by accident on a beach when she was fleeing her village. They have never forgotten her but they are  not sure how they can help her, or rather save her, which they feel inclined to try and do. Their relationship is love/denial of existence.  I dislike the men in the story that treat Sarah (the English woman who wants to help her) with utter disrespect. Her husband is an obnoxious, negative, whining character and her lover is no better. On the other hand I am disappointed by some of Sarahs actions because she seems to be smarter than some of the moves she makes. Her heart is in the right place but her head is in the clouds. Still, an interesting read and if you like English authors, it is worthwhile.