A Review of Little Bee by Chris Cleave

Little Bee is primarily the story of two women, Little Bee and Sarah, who met under extreme circumstances in Bee's home country of Nigeria. Sarah was there with her husband, Andrew, and met Little Bee and her sister Nkiruka, on the beach where they were being chased by "the men who come"- army men intent upon killing them. The story begins with Little Bee's incarceration as an illegal immigrant in England, two years after her fateful meeting with Sarah. She is attempting to escape the murderers of her entire village, unluckily built upon an oil field.
This story contains many secrets; the secret of Little Bee's escape from the "men who come", the true nature of Andrew's suicide, which happens at the beginning of the story, the secret of why Charlie, Sarah and Andrew's four year old son, will only wear his Batman costume, and the secret of Little Bee's true name. It is told chapter by chapter, alternating narrators between Sarah and Bee.
While this story was extremely powerful and had a terrific message, it was not especially to my liking. I found it very sad, and while the story redeemed Sarah as a character (she is particularly flawed, but not unrealistically so), Little Bee was not given the same redemption. Perhaps this is simply true to life; that a sixteen year old girl who lived through atrocities in her own country, escaped illegally to try and seek refuge in England, and was not truly helped by anyone she came across is an accurate portrayal of this type of situation. It is true that Sarah did try to help Little Bee, and more than once. Again, this seems to be to Sarah's credit, but not as much to Little Bee's.
This story is well-written and engaging, in a sad sort of manner, but in all, I did not truly enjoy it. It lacked some fundamental element that can make a depressing story seem worthwhile. I am reminded of my favorite novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. This tale is also quite sad, but is so encompassing, so amazingly joyful at the same time, that you are left (as I was, all 10 times I read it) with an uplifted feeling at the end. That is what I felt was missing from this story.