British couple Andrew and Sarah O'Rourke, vacationing on a Nigerian beach in a last-ditch effort to save their faltering marriage, come across Little Bee and her sister, Nigerian refugees fleeing from machete-wielding soldiers intent on clearing the beach. The horrific confrontation that follows changes the lives of everyone involved in unimaginable ways.
Two years later, Little Bee appears in London on the day of Andrew's funeral and reconnects with Sarah. Sarah is struggling to come to terms with her husband's recent suicide and the stubborn behavior of her four-year-old son, who is convinced that he really is Batman. The tenuous friendship between Sarah and Little Bee that grows, is challenged, and ultimately endures is the heart of this emotional, tense, and often hilarious novel.
Considered by some to be the next Kite Runner, Little Bee is an achingly human story set against the inhuman realities of war-torn Africa. Wrenching tests of friendship and terrible moral dilemmas fuel this irresistible novel.
Worlds collide in this remarkable performance when Little Bee, a Nigerian girl orphaned by violence, meets Sarah, a dissatisfied British professional away on holiday. The horror that takes place on an African beach drives the story, which is gripping and thought provoking. Cleave's prose, often eloquent to the point of poetry, dances on the voice of narrator Anne Flosnik. As the point of view shifts between Little Bee and Sarah, their respective pasts come to life, offering surprises and twists. Flosnik's accents and tone change nimbly to suit each lead character. Ultimately, their shared past--one of terror, sacrifice, guilt, and responsibility--keeps the listener rapt with attention. Artfully told and lyrically performed, this audiobook resonates. L.B.F. ¥¥¥ (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine
