New Releases by Chris Cleave

How are great turning points in history experienced by individuals? As Britain pulls away from Europe great British writers come together to give voice to their innermost feelings. These writers include novelists, writers of books for children, of comic books, humourists, historians, biographers, nature writers, film writers, travel writers, writers young and old and from an extraordinary range of backgrounds. Most are famous perhaps because they have won the Booker or other literary prizes, written bestsellers, changed the face of popular culture or sold millions of records. Others are not yet household names but write with depth of insight and feeling. There is some extraordinary writing in this book. Some of these pieces are expressions of love of particular places in Europe. Some are true stories, some nostalgic, some hopeful. Some are cries of pain. There are hilarious pieces. There are cries of pain and regret. Some pieces are quietly devastating. All are passionate. Conceived as a love letter to Europe, this book may also help reawaken love for Britain. It shows the unique richness and diversity of British cultures, a multitude of voices in harmony. Contributors include: Hugh Aldersey-Williams, Philip Ardagh, Jake Arnott, Patricia Atkinson, Paul Atterbury, Richard Beard, Mary Beard, Don Boyd, Melvyn Bragg, Gyles Brandreth, Kathleen Burke, James Buxton, Philip Carr, Brian Catling, Shami Chakrabarti, Chris Cleave, Mark Cocker, Peter Conradi , Heather Cooper, Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Roger Crowley, David Crystal, William Dalrymple, Lindsey Davies, Margaret Drabble, Mark Ellen, Richard Evans, Michel Faber, Sebastian Faulks, Ranulph Fiennes, Robert Fox, James Fox, Neil Gaiman, Evelyn Glennie, James Hanning, Nick Hayes, Alan Hollinghurst, Gabby Hutchinson-Crouch, Will Hutton, Robert Irwin, Holly Johnson , Liane Jones, Ruth Jones, Sam Jordison, Kapka Kassabova, AL Kennedy, Hermione Lee, Prue Leith, Patrick Lenox, Roger Lewis, David Lindo, Penelope Lively, Beth Lync, Richard Mabey, Sue MacGregor, Ian Martin, Frank McDonough, Jonathan Meades, Andrew Miller, Deborah Moggach, Ben Moor, Alan Moore, Paul Morley, Jackie Morris, Charles Nicholl, Richard Overy, Chris Riddell, Adam Roberts, Tony Robinson, Lee Rourke, Sophie Sabbage, Marcus Sedgwick, Richard Shirreff, Paul Stanford, Isy Suttie, Sandi Toksvig, Colin Tudge, Ed Vulliamy, Anna Whitelock, Kate Williams, Michael Wood, Louisa Young

Estate 2007. Little Bee, Piccola Ape, un’adolescente nigeriana, insieme ad altre tre immigrate esce dal centro di detenzione temporanea in cui ha vissuto per due anni. Non sapendo dove andare, senza documenti, telefona alle uniche persone che conosce in Gran Bretagna, Andrew e Sarah O’Rourke, che due anni prima in Africa le hanno salvato la vita. Andrew e Sarah erano all’epoca in Nigeria in vacanza, nel tentativo di raddrizzare un matrimonio ormai in pezzi. Un giorno, in spiaggia, due ragazzine (Little Bee e sua sorella) corrono verso di loro, inseguite da un gruppo di soldati decisi a ucciderle. Andrew e Sarah riescono a salvare solo una delle due bambine. Quando anni dopo Little Bee ricompare nella vita della coppia, l’esperienza traumatica riemerge e Andrew non regge al ricordo. La vita di tutti subisce un contraccolpo, fino a quando Sarah decide di seguire Little Bee in Nigeria, portandosi dietro il figlio ancora bambino. Non sa cosa l’aspetta. La violenza in Africa non si è ancora fermata. Oltre agli scontri fra culture diverse, Cleave porta l’attenzione sull’innocenza perduta degli adolescenti, dai bambini soldato a quanti ogni giorno devono sopportare regimi dispotici se non brutali, in uno struggente romanzo di feroce onestà.

Londra, 1939. La guerra è stata appena dichiarata e la diciottenne Mary North non attende un solo istante prima di recarsi al War Office e offrirsi come volontaria. Come ogni ragazza di buona famiglia dalla parlantina sciolta, conta di essere assegnata a un incarico di fondamentale importanza: ufficiale di collegamento, oppure attaché di qualche generale, o magari spia, un ruolo ancora più affascinante. Grande è, perciò, il suo sconcerto quando il taxi la deposita davanti alla scuola di Hawley Street, dove le viene detto che dovrà prendersi cura di una classe di trenta bambini da condurre in campagna prima che le ostilità abbiano inizio. Un incarico davvero di poco conto, ma che si rivelerà tutt''altro che banale nell''istante in cui Mary si imbatterà in Zachary Lee, l''unico bambino di colore della scuola. Nei primi giorni di settembre, quando scoppia davvero la guerra, gli unici bambini in età scolare rimasti in città sono quelli meno «allettanti»: gli storpi, gli strambi, di cui la gente di campagna non vuole sapere, e i neri: ne hanno sfollati pochissimi, e anche quei pochi cominciano a tornare indietro. L''evacuazione è stata una specie di concorso di bellezza, con i piccoli allineati sul sagrato della chiesa del paese e i bifolchi che sceglievano i più biondi, i più chiari, scartando gli altri. Quanto agli uomini, ne sono rimasti ben pochi in città. Tra questi Tom Shaw, che tuttavia ne fa un vanto della sua non partecipazione alla guerra e dell''aver accettato la direzione di un distretto scolastico al posto della gloria militare. Un giorno, nel suo ufficio, si presenta una rossa con vivaci occhi verdi e l''aria birichina da folletto: è Mary North alla ricerca di un''occupazione. È stata rimossa dall''incarico di insegnante alla scuola di Hawley Street perché «incorreggibile» e ora vorrebbe un''altra classe in cui insegnare. Una classe dove riunire i bambini rimasti in città perché «diversi» ed emarginati. Tra Mary e Tom si crea un''immediata sintonia, un sentimento destinato, forse, a superare le brutture della guerra e del tempo, se non fosse che la ricomparsa del coinquilino di Tom, l''affascinante Alistair Heath, un tempo curatore alla Tate e ora ufficiale in licenza, cambierà tutte le carte in tavola. Ambientato in Inghilterra nei drammatici anni della Seconda guerra mondiale, I coraggiosi saranno perdonati racconta la storia di un grande amore, di un''amicizia e di come, di contro al grande teatro della Storia, siano le sofferenze più intime, le piccole battaglie e i trionfi umani quotidiani a imprimersi profondamente nel cuore di ognuno. New York Times bestseller - Guardian Literary Highlight 2016 - Indipendent Best Book 2016 «Quello che Ian McEwan ha fatto con Espiazione, Chris Cleave lo fa con I coraggiosi saranno perdonati... Un romanzo avvincente e finemente costruito». Financial Times «Una storia di trionfo umano che colpisce profondamente». The New York Times Book Review

Píše se rok 1939 a Velká Británie vstupuje do války. Když se mladá učitelka Mary seznámí se svým novým nadřízeným Tomem a poté s jeho přítelem Alistairem, důstojníkem dělostřelectva, ocitnou se všichni v tragickém milostném trojúhelníku. Boje se stupňují, a zatímco Mary s Tomem si v bombardovaném Londýně snaží zachránit holý život, Alistair je se svou posádkou vyslán na Maltu, kterou chtějí síly Osy získat za každou cenu...

Kriget deklarerades kl 11.15 och vid lunchtid hade Mary North anmält sig som frivillig. Mary drömmer om att bli agent, men till sin stora besvikelse får hon istället i uppgift att undervisa barn som ingen vill ha. En av dessa är den mörkhyade pojken Zachary som först evakueras till landsbygden som alla andra skolbarn i London, men som skickas tillbaka eftersom ingen familj vill ta hand om honom. Zachary blir snart Marys favoritelev. Mary inleder en passionerad kärleksrelation med skolinspektör Tom. Hans bästa vän Alistair har tagit värvning och befinner sig i krigets epicentrum. När Alistair kommer tillbaka och möter Mary dras de tre in i ett tragiskt kärleksdrama som, allt medan kriget eskalerar och bomberna faller över London, utmanar allt vad de tagit för givet i livet. "Alla hjältar blir förlåtna" är ett starkt krigsdrama om kärlek, förlust och stort mod. Det är en djupt mänsklig och gripande berättelse om hur kriget påverkar relationer, utmanar sociala normer och förändrar människor på djupet.

Alle tapre bliver tilgivet er en overvældende roman om, hvad det vil sige at elske, miste og forblive tapper. Det er en forrygende fortælling med uforglemmelige personer og scenarier, som minder os om, hvorfor Chris Cleave er blevet en læserfavorit, der er røget til tops på bestsellerlister verden over.

The instant New York Times bestseller from Chris Cleave—the unforgettable novel about three lives entangled during World War II, told “with dazzling prose, sharp English wit, and compassion…a powerful portrait of war’s effects on those who fight and those left behind” (People, Book of the Week). London, 1939. The day war is declared, Mary North leaves finishing school unfinished, goes straight to the War Office, and signs up. Tom Shaw decides to ignore the war—until he learns his roommate Alistair Heath has unexpectedly enlisted. Then the conflict can no longer be avoided. Young, bright, and brave, Mary is certain she’d be a marvelous spy. When she is—bewilderingly—made a teacher, she finds herself defying prejudice to protect the children her country would rather forget. Tom, meanwhile, finds that he will do anything for Mary. And when Mary and Alistair meet, it is love, as well as war, that will test them in ways they could not have imagined, entangling three lives in violence and passion, friendship, and deception, inexorably shaping their hopes and dreams. The three are drawn into a tragic love triangle and—as war escalates and bombs begin falling—further into a grim world of survival and desperation. Set in London during the years of 1939–1942, when citizens had slim hope of survival, much less victory; and on the strategic island of Malta, which was daily devastated by the Axis barrage, Everyone Brave is Forgiven features little-known history and a perfect wartime love story inspired by the real-life love letters between Chris Cleave’s grandparents. This dazzling novel dares us to understand that, against the great theater of world events, it is the intimate losses, the small battles, the daily human triumphs that change us most.

It''s 1939 and Mary, a young socialite, is determined to shock her blueblood political family by volunteering for the war effort. She is assigned as a teacher to children who were evacuated from London and have been rejected by the countryside because they are infirm, mentally disabled, or -- like Mary''s favorite student, Zachary -- have colored skin. Tom, an education administrator, is distraught when his best friend, Alastair, enlists. Alastair, an art restorer, has always seemed far removed from the violent life to which he has now condemned himself. But Tom finds distraction in Mary, first as her employer and then as their relationship quickly develops in the emotionally charged times. When Mary meets Alastair, the three are drawn into a tragic love triangle and -- while war escalates and bombs begin falling around them -- further into a new world unlike any they''ve ever known.

Kate och Zoe är nära väninnor men också rivaler som tränar inför olympiska spelen i London 2012. De är båda i världsklass i cykling men bara en av dem kan bli uttagen till att delta i OS. Båda har mycket att förlora men också att vinna när de står i valet mellan familj och framgång på idrottsarenan. På vägen dit möts de av till synes omöjliga hinder och svåra avväganden som sätter tillvaron på prov. Vad är det som får oss att nå framgång? Och vad är framgång? Vilka val gör vi i våra liv och vad får de för konsekvenser? Guld är en gripande berättelse om uthållighet till bristningsgränsen, om moderskap, kärlek och vänskap.

É difícil encontrar palavras para descrever a EMOÇÃO que os livros de Chris Cleave despertam. Os seus enredos são apenas uma parte da HISTÓRIA. Mais importante é a forma como tocam o leitor. E isso é ÚNICO e irrepetível. Menina de Ouro é sobre os limites do AMOR. Sobre as nossas LUTAS diárias. Sobre o conflito entre os nossos DESEJOS e a realidade. Conheça Kate e Zoe. Duas mulheres brilhantes com um SONHO que apenas uma poderá realizar. Conheça também Sophie. Uma criança dotada de uma sensibilidade rara, que luta entre a VIDA e a morte. Estão unidas por um SEGREDO. Delas se exige uma ESCOLHA. No momento mais importante das suas vidas, uma delas terá de fazer o derradeiro SACRIFÍCIO. Menina de Ouro é sobre o que significa ser HUMANO, mas também sobre o que nos permite a todos, de diferentes formas, atingir o EXTRAORDINÁRIO.

Não queremos lhe contar o que acontece nesse livro. É realmente uma história especial, e não queremos estragá-la. Ainda assim, você precisa saber algo para se interessar, por isso vamos dizer apenas o seguinte: Essa é a história de duas mulheres cujas vidas se chocam num dia fatídico. Então, uma delas precisa fazer uma escolha que envolve vida ou morte. Dois anos mais tarde, elas se reencontram. E tudo começa... Depois de ler esse livro, você vai querer comentá-lo com seus amigos. Quando o fizer, por favor, não lhes diga o que acontece. O encanto está sobretudo na maneira como a narrativa se desenrola. Pequena Abelha é o segundo livro de Chris Cleave. Finalista do Prêmio Costa de 2008 como Melhor Obra de Ficção, foi indicado ao Prêmio Commonwealth Writers'' como Melhor Livro de 2009.

Three novels from the #1 New York Times bestselling author Chris Cleave. Little Bee This haunting, New York Times bestselling novel tells the story of an African refugee, nicknamed Little Bee, whose violent and courageous journey from a Nigerian beach to a suburban London home and back puts a stunning face on the worldwide refugee crisis. Incendiary In an emotionally raw voice alive with grief, compassion, and startling humor, a woman mourns the loss of her husband and son at the hands of one of history’s most notorious criminals. And in appealing to their executioner, she reveals the desperate sadness of a broken heart and a working-class life blown apart. Gold Building on the tradition of Little Bee, Chris Cleave again writes with elegance, humor, and passion about friendship, marriage, parenthood, tragedy, and redemption.

Building on the tradition of Little Bee, Chris Cleave again writes with elegance, humor, and passion about friendship, marriage, parenthood, tragedy, and redemption. What would you sacrifice for the people you love? KATE AND ZOE met at nineteen when they both made the cut for the national training program in track cycling—a sport that demands intense focus, blinding exertion, and unwavering commitment. They are built to exploit the barest physical and psychological edge over equally skilled rivals, all of whom are fighting for the last one tenth of a second that separates triumph from despair. Now at thirty-two, the women are facing their last and biggest race: the 2012 Olympics. Each wants desperately to win gold, and each has more than a medal to lose. Kate is the more naturally gifted, but the demands of her life have a tendency to slow her down. Her eight-year-old daughter Sophie dreams of the Death Star and of battling alongside the Rebels as evil white blood cells ravage her personal galaxy—she is fighting a recurrence of the leukemia that nearly killed her three years ago. Sophie doesn’t want to stand in the way of her mum’s Olympic dreams, but each day the dark forces of the universe seem to be massing against her. Devoted and self-sacrificing Kate knows her daughter is fragile, but at the height of her last frenzied months of training, might she be blind to the most terrible prognosis? Intense, aloof Zoe has always hovered on the periphery of real human companionship, and her compulsive need to win at any cost has more than once threatened her friendship with Kate—and her own sanity. Will she allow her obsession, and the advantage she has over a harried, anguished mother, to sever the bond they have shared for more than a decade? Echoing the adrenaline-fueled rush of a race around the Velodrome track, Gold is a triumph of superbly paced, heart-in-throat storytelling. With great humanity and glorious prose, Chris Cleave examines the values that lie at the heart of our most intimate relationships, and the choices we make when lives are at stake and everything is on the line.

Por el autor de Con el corazón en la mano, una novela sobre la rivalidad, los límites de la amistad, el amor y el valor de la vida

Goud vertelt het verhaal van Kate Argall en Zoe Castle, wielrenners op de baan, die al zo lang ze elkaar kennen elkaars beste vriendinnen zijn - en elkaars grootste rivalen. Ze hebben in hun sportieve carrière lief en leed met elkaar gedeeld, hebben van elkaar gewonnen en verloren, hebben elkaar verraden en vergeven. Nu, aan de vooravond van de Olympische Spelen van 2012 in Londen, staan ze, samen met hun beider coach Tom en met Sophie, de achtjarige, ernstig zieke dochter van de Argalls, voor hun grootste uitdaging. Na zijn grote succes Kleine Bij verrast Chris Cleave de wereld opnieuw met een schitterend, diep ontroerend verhaal over vriendschap, liefde, tragedie en verlossing. Vier volwassen mensen krijgen ieder voor zich te maken met een vrijwel onoplosbare vraag: wat ben je bereid op te offeren voor je beste vriend, als dat betekent dat je het allerbelangrijkste in je leven moet opgeven? Chris Cleave (1973) brak in 2008 internationaal door met zijn tweede roman, Kleine Bij, het betoverende verhaal over een zestienjarige asielzoekster uit Nigeria, een moeder uit Engeland en het geheim dat hen bindt. Kleine Bij wordt binnenkort verfilmd door Nicole Kidman, die ook de hoofdrol zal spelen. ''Cleave gaat voor het goud en brengt het thuis in deze ongelooflijk spannende en emotioneel geslaagde roman. Hij trekt alle registers open om in de harten en zielen van zijn innemende, veelzijdige personages te komen. De wielrenscènes zijn van een bijna lichamelijke intensiteit, die de lezer ademloos achterlaat. Van start tot finish is dit een literaire prestatie van waarlijk Olympisch niveau.'' publishers weekly, starred review ''Cleave heeft de gave om complexe kinderen te portretteren die de diepste gevoelens oproepen.'' kirkus reviews, starred review Over Kleine Bij: ''Zonder twijfel het beste boek van het jaar.'' metro ''Fantastisch boek. Mooi, prachtige dialogen, grappig, maar ook ontroerend met fantastische wendingen.'' paul de leeuw

This free sampler features extended excerpts from six novels coming in 2012 from Simon & Schuster. The books and authors presented in this sampler include In One Person, the first new novel in three years from John Irving, Carry the One by Carol Anshaw, Gold by Chris Cleave, author of Little Bee, In the Shadow of the Banyan by Vaddey Ratner, The Twelve Rooms of the Nile by Enid Shomer, and The Green Shore by Natalie Bakopoulos. In addition to these exclusive previews, the sample includes interviews with the writers and commentary from the books’ editors.

El encuentro entre dos mujeres con poco en común, una joven nigeriana y una periodista inglesa, que derivará en una gran amistad.

Featuring favorite authors and thrilling debuts, Something to Read About: A Book Club Sampler, is the guide for finding your next book club read. Whether you’re in the mood for something historical, contemporary, young adult, or true life these are books you and your reading group won’t want to miss: The Memory Palace: A Memoir by Mira Bartok, Incendiary by Chris Cleave, The Chemical Garden Trilogy Book One: Wither by Lauren DeStefano, The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory, Possession by Elana Johnson, The Dirty Life: A Memoir of Farming, Food, and Love by Kristin Kimball, The Butterfly’s Daughter by Mary Alice Monroe, Skipping a Beat by Sarah Pekkanen, and Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley. Enjoy an excerpt from each book accompanied by a collection of bonus materials intended to enrich your reading experience and book club discussion. You’ll get discussion questions, suggestions for enhancing your book club, and full-length author interviews. We’ve even included a special note from the author and their answer to our culinary quandary: “What would you serve at a book club discussing your own book?” Their menu suggestions range from a family recipe for the “Best Ever Refritos” to a “Royal-Tea Cocktail” and are sure to add something special to your next book group meeting. The Something to Read About sampler was created to help you discover your next won’t-be-able-to-put-it-down, can’t-wait-to-talk-about-it, all-time-favorite read. And like most of the finer things in life, these stories are meant to be shared. Enjoy!

Cleave aconsegueix, amb la seva narració commovedora, fer trontollar les concepcions ètiques dels lectors Una història entranyable sobre el triomf de les persones. (The New York Times) En un intent desesperat per salvar el seu matrimoni, lAndrew i la Sarah ORourke fan un viatge a Nigèria, però allà un esdeveniment terrible els obliga a prendre una decisió de vida o mort. Dos anys més tard, la refugiada nigeriana de setze anys Little Bee es presenta per sorpresa a casa dels ORourke, en un barri benestant de Londres. Aquesta visita desencadenarà un nou trasbals en la vida de la Sarah, que haurà denfrontar-se per fi als fantasmes del passat, però al capdavall la relació amb la Little Bee la farà més forta, generosa i humana. Una novella intelligent i emocionant que equilibra a la perfecció humor i drama, combina una història esgarrifosa amb una reflexió sobre la condició humana i ens regala dos personatges inoblidables. tremolava asseguda al banc de lesglésia quan vaig entendre que no plorem pels morts. Plorem per nosaltres mateixos.

At once a novel and an open letter to Osama bin Laden, Incendiary is a shocking, hilarious, and heartbreaking debut that crashes head on into huge questions of right and wrong, good and evil, madness and sanity. Incendiary is the story of a working class woman who likes her simple life: watching Arsenal matches on the telly with her husband and little boy, fishsticks for dinner in their small flat, the occasional trip to the pub. One spring afternoon the woman, whom we know only by the nickname “Petal”, watches her husband and their son head happily off to Ashburton Grove, Arsenal’s brand new stadium, to see their favourite team play. A few hours later the horror of a terrorist bombing plays out on her television — the bombing of Ashburton Grove. “Petal” tells her own story in an extraordinary voice, one both desperate and sharply funny, speaking directly to the man responsible for the bombing. She shows the reader an incredible world, a London that is not quite real, in a time that is not quite our own. And as deeply enmeshed as the reader becomes in her reality, a tiny, persistent doubt begins to creep in about just what is reality and what is a manifestation of her griefstricken and distraught imagination. Dear Osama they want you dead or alive so the terror will stop. Well I wouldn’t know about that I mean rock ’n’ roll didn’t stop when Elvis died on the khazi it just got worse. Next thing you know there was Sonny & Cher and Dexy’s Midnight Runners. I’ll come to them later. My point is it’s easier to start these things than to finish them. I suppose you thought of that did you? There’s a reward of 25 million dollars on your head but don’t lose sleep on my account Osama. I have no information leading to your arrest or capture. I have no information full effing stop. I’m what you’d call an infidel and my husband called working class. There is a difference you know. But just supposing I did clap eyes on you. Supposing I saw you driving a Nissan Primera down towards Shoreditch and grassed you to the old bill. Well. I wouldn’t know how to spend 25 million dollars. It’s not as if I’ve got anyone to spend it on since you blew up my husband and my boy. —excerpt from Indendiary

Op een mooi strand wacht een verhaal op een verteller. Het verhaal maakt je aan het lachen. Het ontroert je, het schokt je en het vervult je met afschuw. Maar steeds weer zul je terugkeren naar dat strand. Keer op keer. We willen je eigenlijk niet vertellen waar dit boek over gaat. Het is een uiterst bijzonder verhaal en we willen je leesplezier niet verpesten. Maar toch moet je genoeg weten om het boek te kunnen kopen, en daarom vertellen we je dit: Dit is een verhaal over twee vrouwen. Ze hebben elkaar ontmoet op een paradijselijk Afrikaans strand, en een van hen heeft een verschrikkelijke keuze moeten maken. Twee jaar later ontmoeten ze elkaar opnieuw, en dat is waar het verhaal begint. Op het moment dat je begint te lezen, wil je je vrienden erover vertellen. Maar vertel hun alsjeblieft ook niet waar dit boek over gaat. Door de magie van het boek komen ze het vanzelf te weten. Chris Cleave (1974) woont in Londen en is columnist voor The Guardian. Zijn eerste boek werd vertaald in twintig landen en bekroond met verschillende internationale prijzen. Kleine Bij is zijn grote doorbraak. Het karakter en de stem van Kleine Bij laten Cleave van zijn beste kant zien. (...) Een aangrijpende geschiedenis van de menselijke triomf. the new york times Een buitengewone roman met snelle en scherpe dialogen, een emotioneel geladen plot en een ethische strijd van de overtuigende personages. the independent De stem die spreekt vanaf de eerste bladzijde van Chris Cleaves Kleine Bij is een stem die je nog nooit hebt gehoord _ het is de stem van een slimme, behoedzame en ontmoedigde immigrant, getekend door haar verschrikkelijke verleden. (...) Lees deze urgente, wrange en grappige roman om inzicht te krijgen in de kracht van de mensheid, een kracht die angst kan ontwapenen. Zonder twijfel het beste boek van het jaar. metro

Sarah Summers is enjoying a holiday on a Nigerian beach when a young girl named Little Bee crashes irrevocably into her life. All it takes is a brief and horrifying moment of crisis — a terrifying scene that no reader will forget. Afterwards, Sarah and Little Bee might expect never to see each other again. But Little Bee finds Sarah’s husband’s wallet in the sand, and smuggles herself on board a cargo vessel with his address in mind. She spends two years in detention in England before making her way to Sarah’s house, with what will prove to be devastating timing. Chapter by chapter, alternating between Little Bee’s voice and Sarah’s, Chris Cleave wholly and caringly portrays two very different women trying to cope with events they’d never imagined. Little Bee is experiencing all the fullness and emptiness of the rich world for the first time, and her observations are hopeful, charming and piercing: “Most days I wish I was a British pound coin instead of an African girl,” she says: “Everyone would be pleased to see me coming.” Sarah is more cynical and disheartened, a successful magazine editor trying to find meaning in the face of turmoil at home and work. As the story develops, however, we learn about what matters most to her, including her fierce, protective love for her funny little son (“From the Spring of 2007 until the end of that long summer when Little Bee came to live with us,” Sarah says, “my son removed his Batman costume only at bathtimes.”). Sarah is trying to find herself as much as Little Bee is — and, unexpectedly, each character discovers a ray of hope in the other. What follows when Little Bee comes back into Sarah’s life is a powerful story of reconciliation and healing, but it is mixed in with a generous helping of satire about the daily difficulties of modern life. This is a novel about important issues, from refugee policy to the devastating effects of violence, but more than that, it does something only great fiction can: Little Bee teaches us what it is like to live through experiences most of us think of only as far off disasters in the news. As ever, the author says it best: “It’s an uplifting, thrilling, universal human story, and I just worked to keep it simple. One brave African girl; one brave Western woman. What if one just turned up on the other’s doorstep one misty morning and asked, Can you help? And what if that help wasn’t just a one-way street?”