This novel works for me if Sarah鈥檚 character works. I鈥檇 like to suggest that this book is Sarah鈥檚 story, or becomes her story, given she鈥檚 the only chThis novel works for me if Sarah鈥檚 character works. I鈥檇 like to suggest that this book is Sarah鈥檚 story, or becomes her story, given she鈥檚 the only character I 鈥渂ought鈥� along with her son. Mr. Cleave was superb in his rendition of Lawrence, made my skin cringe, the character I mean, so a testament to Mr. Cleave鈥檚 talent. But, I got close to Sarah because she is a heroic character (not quite tragic as in Aristotelian terms), but she鈥檚 complex and contradictory for most of the novel. I didn鈥檛 quite like her in the beginning but she grew on me. There is a banal conflict around her career鈥攚hich sets up an enigmatic decision later in the novel from the author decision making and execution point of view, and the character鈥檚 point of view, but sheer writing talent of Mr. Cleave manages to deliver her character, even though I concede her character weakens by the end-- her quest: 鈥淚 need to collect more stories like yours鈥o you think we can do that here?鈥� (Pg 254)--raised this simple issue: she鈥檚 not the savior of others but herself. She鈥檚 a 鈥渦ser,鈥� another person looking to write something important and give her or his life a meaning鈥攚hich is fine as we would all agree, but she endangers her son鈥檚 and Little Bee鈥檚 life. I didn鈥檛 buy the argument for a heartbeat that they鈥檒l be safe in Nigeria because Sarah is British, when Sarah takes the trip with her son to Nigeria鈥攊t鈥檇 be okay, if you buy the rationale, but I didn鈥檛.
When I read this passage, from Sarah鈥檚 point of view, on page 191:
鈥淭hrowing my bicycle down into a pungent cushion of cow parsley and wild mint, and sliding down the plunging bank into clear cold water, my sandals kicking up a quick brown bloom of me from the stream bed, the minnows darting away into the black pool of shade beneath the bridge鈥 found a soft patch of wild grass and cornflower by the side of the barley field, and I lay down my face close to the damp earthen smell of the grass roots, listening to the buzzing of the summer flies. I cried, but I didn鈥檛 know why.鈥�
I felt for Sarah. The timing of where this passage is put, more than its content, was very well executed, and it captured Sarah鈥檚 anguish.
But the book is titled 鈥淟ittle Bee.鈥� I am afraid that Little Bee is not a convincing character. She鈥檚 a mannequin of Sarah, for Sarah, and with time, ceases to be a 鈥渞eal鈥� character. LB is manipulated for Sarah to be heroic not her husband, for Sarah to struggle with her lover, question her career, I can go on.
Even the language betrays Mr. Cleave here. I鈥檒l quote a piece of dialogue/observation and I want you to guess who said what or more importantly, who鈥檇 you think could have said it just as easily:
(First woman says): 鈥溾€ want people like you. Surely I鈥檓 not the only one.鈥� (Other woman says): 鈥淧eople will say you鈥檙e na茂ve.鈥� (Pg 257)
Who would be a making this observation?: 鈥溾€ulture has become sophisticated, like a computer, or a drug that you take for a headache.鈥� A girl from deep within Nigeria, or a woman from Surrey or Sarah鈥檚 young son? (Pg 128)
The passage above and the next passage, I noticed others, show that essentially the more convincing language, and by far the majority if not all of the beautiful writing, is attributed to Sarah, her exchanges, her relationships, and therefore Sarah dominates the novel, despite the alternating points of view between her and Little Bee:
鈥淚t鈥檚 something I could never have explained to my mother, I suppose: that there are circumstances in which we will allow men to enter our bodies but not our homes. My body still ached from Lawrence鈥檚 voice, and the frustration rose inside me until I picked up the phone and smashed it, again and again, into my perfectly iced cake. When the cake was quite destroyed I took a deep breath, switched the oven back on, and started making another.鈥� (Pg 165)
So the novel worked for me as I kept it in Sarah鈥檚 frame of reference, and as long as Sarah鈥檚 point of view prevailed.
Sometimes Little Bee sounded like Sarah, both in her thoughts and dialogue, so she became less convincing as the novel progressed. Her wise observations, even when written 鈥渂rilliantly鈥� as some British would say and I agree to their brilliance, started loosing their power for me, and therefore the pathos of Little Bee鈥檚 suffering weakened.
Some peeves: a) The use of word 鈥渟erious鈥� or 鈥渟eriously:鈥� the following didn鈥檛 work for me: 鈥淗ow imperceptible it had been, that transition in his facial expression, from deadly serious to seriously dead.鈥� Particularly, given who Sarah is talking about and what had happened.
b) Little Bee recognizes a British and an Italian flag on two ships when she flees her village. I鈥檒l allow poetic license that she picks the British not the Italian ship, but how does she know the Italian flag, given she鈥檚 leaving her village for the first time? Throughout the girls, Little Bee鈥檚 friends, in the village are depicted as completely unaware of modern amenities and things foreign or Western, as 鈥渋n your country.鈥�
c) The argument that Little Bee could have learned proper Queen鈥檚 English while at the detention center was dead on arrival for me. Given anything is possible, it wasn鈥檛 plausible. ...more
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