LITTLE BEE by Chris Cleave

February 16th, 2010 - Simon & Schuster

Synopsis: We don't want to tell you too much about this book. It is a truly special story and we don't want to spoil it. Nevertheless, you need to know something, so we will just say this: It is extremely funny, but the African beach scene is horrific. The story starts there, but the book doesn't. And it's what happens afterward that is most important. Once you have read it, you'll want to tell everyone about it. When you do, please don't tell them what happens either. The magic is in how it unfolds.

First of all, sorry it's been awhile since I posted. What with the climax of NaNo and it's finale, trying to finish up school, and, you know, life, I've been pretty busy. Also, my status on NaNo...... Drumroll, please.................................................................................. I failed miserably! :D

No, but really. I only got about 12k words in. Which is more than nothing, and at least it forced me to focus on finishing my novel-sticking to that darn outline and trying outlandish and crazy techniques. I wouldn't have given up the experience though.

Well, review time!

Kind of.

As the synopsis says, a lot shouldn't be said because they want to let it unfold. And.... Well, I'm not going to show much more than what the synopsis says.

If you open to the publication page, as I did because I always think it's funny, the words they list as "fiction" at the bottom (i.e., 'love-fiction, memory loss-fiction'). Anyway, if you read it mentions things like Nigerians, England, and immigration. And OMG. Was that African beach scene horrific, or what?

The only other thing I'll say about this is that I adore. Oh, I adore this so, so, so, so, so, so, so much! There's something I want to jot down in my book of quotes on every other page. I know it sounds cheesy to say this, but it's pure poetry. I mean, just listen to this:

'On the girl's brown legs there were many small white scars. I was thinking, Do those scars cover the whole of you, like the stars and the moons on your dress? I thought that would be pretty too, and I ask you right here please to agree with me that a scar is never ugly. That is what the scar makers want us to think. But you and I, we must make an agreement to defy them. 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.'

O_O Beautiful, isn't it?

Besides the god-like writing, the story is phenomenal. It's all so real. You know that feeling you get when an author writes something in their book that makes you go, "Woah. That's totally how I feel sometimes, completely captured in these words. I've never heard any other writer talk about that"? That's what this book does. Throughout the ENTIRE FREAKING THING.

Peace, unicorns, and lots and lots of egg rolls,

Aaron