Little Bee is the 2nd book published by Chris Cleave. Apparently, it was inspired by the time he spent in West Africa during early childhood, and also by an accidental visit to a British concentration camp while he was there.
The story of Little Bee is told by a teenage Nigerian refugee named “Little Bee” and a British journalist named Sarah O’Rourke.
Little Bee and Sarah have a connection with one another. Two years ago, Sarah and her husband Andrew were vacationing on a Nigerian beach when there was an incident. The plot is built around this one major incident. The two characters merge into each other’s lives to help the other one, while coping with lots of pain in the process.
Little Bee is pretty hard-core. It’s about two people who overcome extremely traumatic events in completely different ways. It’s hard to forget about something when that something literally shows up on your doorstep.
My favorite aspect of Little Bee isn’t exactly the reveal regarding the horrifying event at the beach in Nigeria. And it isn’t about how the characters cope with their grief. It’s the voice of Little Bee herself that made me appreciate this novel.
I enjoyed Little Bee’s comparisons of English life to Nigerian life, and her persistence on trying to understand the English language. The novel is brutally honest. Overall, I liked it.
Other books by Chris Cleave include:
- Gold (2012)
- Everyone Brave is Forgiven (2016)
What did you think about Little Bee?
Last Updated on January 11, 2026 by Sarah Ann
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