Little Bee

by Chris Cleave.

Quickie Recap: A couple goes on vacation to Nigeria to try to save their marriage, but instead they find themselves in the middle of an unofficial war and are asked to make a decision that will save or take lives.

Quickie Review: A few pages in, I wasn't feeling this book. Little Bee, as the girl is known, is just coming out of a detention centre, and I wasn't enjoying her narration. Thank goodness I stuck with it. Not only does her story improve, but it becomes intertwined with that of the couple that she accidentally met on a beach on a very fateful day in her home country of Nigeria. This book refers to an "incident" that is initially not known to the reader. I was nearly preparing myself to get annoyed by the omission when the author lets us in on the secret, and it's a big secret. It's the kind of scene that haunts. Everything else kind of unfolds as a result of that one incident, and it's gross and sad and frustrating and a really good read.

Quickie Recommendation: Don't be a bonehead like me. Give it a proper chance and it will dazzle you.