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Little Bee by Chris Cleave; April BOTM
Topic Started: Mar 30 2010, 02:05 PM (992 Views)
mary024
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Little Bee
by Chris Cleave

Little Bee, a young Nigerian refugee, has just been released from the British immigration detention center where she has been held under horrific conditions for the past two years, after narrowly escaping a traumatic fate in her homeland of Nigeria. Alone in a foreign country, without a family member, friend, or pound to call her own, she seeks out the only English person she knows. Sarah is a posh young mother and magazine editor with whom Little Bee shares a dark and tumultuous past.

They first met on a beach in Nigeria, where Sarah was vacationing with her husband, Andrew, in an effort to save their marriage after an affair, and their brief encounter has haunted each woman for two years. Now together, they face a disturbing past and an uncertain future with the help of Sarah’s four-year-old son, Charlie, who refuses to take off his Batman costume. A sense of humor and an unflinching moral compass allow each
woman, and the reader, to believe that even in the face of unspeakable odds, humanity can prevail.

1. “Sad words are just another beauty. A sad story means, this storyteller is alive” (p. 9). For Little Bee and other asylum seekers, the story of their life thus far is often all they have. What happens to the characters that carry their stories with them, both physically and mentally? What happens when we try to forget our past? How much control over their own stories do the characters in the book seem to have?

2. Little Bee tells the reader, “We must see all scars as beauty. Okay? This will be our secret. Because take it from me, a scar does not form on the dying. A scar means, I survived” (p. 9). Which characters in the story are left with physical scars? Emotional scars? Do they embrace them as beautiful? Do you have any scars you’ve come to embrace? Did you feel more connected to Little Bee as a narrator after this pact?

3. Little Bee strives to learn the Queen’s English in order to survive in the detention center. How does her grasp of the language compare with Charlie’s? How does the way each of these two characters handle the English language help to characterize them?

4. How did it affect your reading experience to have two narrators? Did you trust one woman more than the other? Did you prefer the voice of one above the other?

5. Little Bee credits a small bottle of nail polish for “saving her life” while she was in the detention center (p. 7). Is there any object or act that helps you feel alive and beautiful, even when everything else seems to be falling apart?

6. Of the English language Little Bee says, “Every word can defend itself. Just when you go to grab it, it can split into two separate meanings so the understanding closes on empty air” (p. 12). What do you think she means by this? Can you think of any examples of English words that defend themselves? Why is language so important to Little Bee?

7. Little Bee says of horror films, “Horror in your country is something you take a dose of to remind yourself that you are not suffering from it” (p. 45). Do you agree? Was reading this novel in any way a dose of horror for you? How did it help you reflect on the presence or lack of horror in your own life?

8. Little Bee figures out the best way to kill herself in any given situation, just in case “the men come suddenly.” How do these plans help Little Bee reclaim some power? Were you disturbed by this, or were you able to find the humor in some of the scenarios she imagines?

9. What does Udo changing her name to Little Bee symbolize for you? How does her new name offer her protection? Do you think the name suits her?

10. “To have an affair, I began to realize, was a relatively minor transgression. But to really escape from Andrew, to really become myself, I had to go the whole way and fall in love” (p. 161-162). Do you agree with Sarah that an affair is a minor transgression? How did falling in love with someone else help Sarah become herself? What role did Andrew play in perpetuating Sarah’s extramarital affair?

11. When Little Bee finds that Andrew has hanged himself she thinks, “Of course I must save him, whatever it costs me, because he is a human being.” And then she thinks, “Of course I must save myself, because I am a human being too” (p. 194). How do the characters in the story decide when to put themselves first and when to offer charity? Is one human life ever more valuable than another? What if one of the lives in question is your own?

This book is available in our online store

Edited by mary024, Mar 30 2010, 02:07 PM.
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burgandykat
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Apparently this is a really, really popular book....my library system has 16 copies, all are checked out and there are 11 holds on the first copies returned.

Have to see if I can find a used copy.
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mary024
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Ack! I'm #22 on the list of holdable copies. There are 9 copies available.
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Vikks14
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My neighbor is going to loan this to me ... sweet!
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mary024
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I'm still looking for a copy. I didn't realize it was so popular.
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GWTW1939
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I saw this book all over the front of Borders a few weeks or so ago. I think it is pretty popular. I'll have to pick it up the next time I get a good coupon.
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elite
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There's only 2 copies at my library and both are taken. If I reserve it, I'm like #100 or something on the list.
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burgandykat
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I'm up to #5 on the hold list.
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Vikks14
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OK, so I started this book today, as something to read on the plane ... didn't get too far, since I am on a business trip, but wanted to give my first impressions of the main characters so far — we'll see how I feel as the story progresses!

I really like Little Bee so far, I think the deal was sealed for me as soon as she spoke of choosing to develop her language/brains instead of her looks ... hard to imagine she is only supposed to be 16.

But Sarah, I am having a hard time feeling a whole lot of sympathy for her now since I know she's a cheater; that really threw me for a loop. I want to like her for all of her other qualities, but it's not happening yet.

Andrew, I feel bad for the poor dead guy, but I NEED to know why he was in such a depression and what he felt so guilty about already! What did he do, and will it make me dislike him as well?

And I think I am finally getting to the point where I find out what happened on the beach! Either that or the author is teasing me. I hope that I do not have to wait til the end of the story to find out!
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Vikks14
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OK, I have read further on and HOLY CRAP! (And that HOLY CRAP is not just about what happened on the beach!)

What Sarah and Andrew needed to do, was get lots of therapy after their Nigeria trip. Especially him. And no, he didn't make me dislike him. He hated himself enough for it, no way could I add to that.

I mean, what would YOU have done, in his situation? Would you have even believed those guys would honor the deal?

Sarah acted like a hero. And yet I still don't exactly like her.

And Lawrence is a wussy. I actually have another word for him, which ryhmes with wussy - I think I've offended myself!

As you read this book, it is obvious that Andrew makes a couple fatal mistakes in his life. Real doozies. But I think his worst mistake was to marry Sarah. I can explain my view on that later, when you all start reading this story!

Edited by Vikks14, Apr 26 2010, 02:34 PM.
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mary024
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I decided to buy the book so I can get to it.
Hope I can get to it soon.
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burgandykat
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Yay. Got the email this afternoon that a copy of the book is sitting on the hold shelf, waiting for me to pick it up. Must be a quick read - the hold list moved pretty fast. Probably pick it up tomorrow as I know I won't get there before closing today.
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Vikks14
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I finished the book! Now I am just waiting for the rest of you!
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Vikks14
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OK, so while I am waiting very patiently for somebody to finish the book, I will post links that may be of interest, all from the author's Web site:

A Q&A with the author about the book (which is a bit different than the Q&A at the back of the paperback):
http://www.chriscleave.com/main/?page_id=33

Links to more about Nigerian authors, oil drilling in Niger Delta, refugees, and asylum seekers, etc.
http://www.chriscleave.com/main/?page_id=753



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GWTW1939
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I picked up the book last week at Borders. I am liking it so far...
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