The Fool Reads: Little Bee and Little Blackie

Well another month has gone by, so we know what that means: I have read two whole books! Not even fairly large books, mind you, it just takes me awhile to get things read. Both stories feature strong female narrators trying to make their way in unknown territory. While they share that in common, the two are really quite different.

Little Bee by Chris Cleave

The first book, recommended to me by friend Chelsea, is about a young Nigerian girl, Little Bee, who recounts her tale from her village to an immigration asylum to reuniting with Sarah. Sarah is a British magazine editor who had a traumatic encounter with Bee years ago while on holiday with her husband. The book has each woman take turns narrating and they tell us about the events that happened as well as move their current lives forward.

These women are very different from each other, and each views the world differently. Little Bee is very mature for her age, and talks to the reader in a very conversational-like way. Having lived a hard life, she speaks bluntly about such topics most people would find uncomfortable. For example, she explains early on that she constantly fears the men who are hunting for her will find her. Therefore, in any situation she is in she plots a way she could kill herself if she had to, in order to escape a worse fate from the men.

"In the canteen there was a television that was always on. I began to learn more about life in your country. I watched programs called Love Island and Hell's Kitchen and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? and I worked out how I would kill myself on all those shows. Drowning, knives, ask the audience."

-Little Bee, Little Bee pg 49. Cleave.

Sarah is a bit more depressed as a character. Having lived a much better life than Bee, she has a harder time dealing with the traumatic event that occurred when they first met (I won't ruin it for you). Her problems may seem more small-scale compared to Bee's, but that also makes her more easier to relate to. She goes through her life with a certain numbness, but she does eventually snap back into living after reuniting with Bee.

"Still shaking, in the pew, I understood that it isn't the dead we cry for. We cry for ourselves, and I didn't deserve my own pity."

-Sarah, Little Bee pg 96. Cleave

All in all, Mr. Cleave writes a very interesting and harshly realistic story. It is especially fun to get into the head of Little Bee, who despite being young and foreign has a great grasp on the world around her. The events that happen are very dark, and the ending is harsh as well, but that makes for a great read.

Side note, there may be a film version of this movie in the future featuring Nicole Kidman as Sarah. Fun Fact.

True Grit by Charles Portis

My first interaction with True Grit was seeing the new film over a year ago. I loved the film (as I said in my review) and finally got around to reading the novel it was based on.

Grit is told from the perspective of young Mattie Ross, a girl who sets out to capture Tom Cheney, a man who murdered her father in cold blood. Cheney escaped through the Indian land and joined up with criminal Lucky Ned Pepper and his gang, so Mattie enlists the help of ruthless Marshall Rooster Cogburn and Texas Ranger Lebeouf in order to track the man down.

Mattie is an old woman looking back on her story, and the script reads like you sat someone down and just asked them to talk to you. She pauses to explain things (some that don't need explaining), goes off on a few side tangents, quotes the bible, and makes a few judgements on her traveling companions. Hers is a frank but perfectly realistic way of talking, which often leads to funny results.

"Nature tells us to rest after meals and people who are too busy to heed that inner voice are often dead at the age of fifty years."

-Mattie Ross, True Grit pg 36. Portis

The story is a dangerous one but instead of focusing on the rough Marshall Cogburn (another great character) it focuses on this very mature little girl who knows what she wants and knows how to get it. Mattie proves that strong female characters existed way before Katniss Everdeen graced the pages. She has good common sense, a very adult way of dealing with things, and a wit she uses even in the face of danger.

"-A little smut will not harm you."

"-Yes, that is true, or else you and your 'chums' would surely be dead."

-Lucky Ned Pepper and Mattie Ross, True Grit pg188. Portis

I definitely recommend this book to anyone. The afterword written by Donna Tartt suggests this book may be one of the best written, and I agree it is quite a classic.