Little Bee: A Novel By Chris Cleave
2009
My first few weeks of mommyhood were spent like most new mothers... in a complete haze. I was sleep deprived, overjoyed, over emotional, and over sensitive to Felix's every whimper ("oh my god, he has the mumps/thrush/ameobic dysentery. have you seen his cheeks/tongue/poop? they're so pudgy/spotty/yellow. quick - google the it.") I started to notice an unsavory pattern...
- wake up / feed Felix / allow shitty reality tv to drone in the background
- change Felix's diaper
- rock Felix back to sleep while shitty reality tv drones in the background
- try to put Felix down in his napper
- pick an unhappy Felix back up,
- rock him back to sleep
- watch shitty reality tv while he rests on my chest
- find myself anxiously awaiting new episodes of said shitty reality tv shows
... do you see where this is going?
Long before Felix was born, I vowed that TV would NOT be a babysitter for my kids. Little did I know, it would become a babysitter for ME during those fragile weeks as a new mom. So I found the library card hidden in my wallet under Babies 'R Us gift cards and placed a few books on hold (thank goodness for the Internet). I had hijacked Little Bee from a recommendation I had seen one friend give another friend on Facebook and was pleased when the hardcover arrived (via my brother... I barely leave the house). The cover art is suspiciously similar to Kara Walker's art... which I LOVE. I wish it was actually done by Walker, because since I know it's NOT it feels like it's been copied in poor taste - especially considering the books subject matter... I digress...
(((See what I mean about this SORT OF being a book review?)))
Little Bee is one of the two main characters. She is a Nigerian refugee, a teen bordering on womanhood who has seen far to much in far to little time. She's just been released from a UK detention center, where she taught herself to speak perfect "Queen's English" and became an educated, spunky, modern woman.
Sarah is a "big wig" at a smallish London fashion mag that, once upon a time, strived to be more than the superficial competition. She's fashionable, straight-forward, and career-oriented... and is now dealing with her husband's suicide, a hum-drum affair, and raising a toddler who insists on being called Batman. She's doing all this with nine fingers... she lost one of them in a surreal, explosively tense, life-or-death moment that connected her, her husband Andrew, and Little Bee on an African shore a lifetime ago, or so it seems.
The most poignant moment of the book comes during Andrew's funeral. Batman (aka Charlie) hurls himself into the open grave, falling on to the lid of the muddy coffin, pounding his chubby little fists on the wood as astonished, bereaved family members stand idly by in wonderment... Sarah (and Little Bee) unsure of how to remedy the situation. Cleave's writing captured the awe of the scene, leaving me in tears and asking myself how Felix and I would handle the situation if - heaven forbid - something were to happen to my husband.
The book takes several unsuspected turns, including the story behind Sarah's missing finger... which is gut wrenching, but borders unbelievable - which is unfortunate because it turns out to be a MAJOR point in the book. However, it maintained my interest and piqued my curiosity, leaving me constantly wondering how and where the story of Sarah and Little Bee resolve.
On my mommy-meter... it was a diaper without poop. Maybe just a little wet. No stink. And no pee in the face when all was said in done.
For those of you non-breeders out there... it means I liked it. I liked it enough to recommend to someone else, even. Read it.
... hmmmmm. First blog post finished. What'd ya'll think? Should I hang up the hat?
Def read some more and tell me all about it. I may not have the time to read it, bur I like your synopsis!!!
ReplyDelete:)