The Other Hand (UK)
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“Most days I wish I was a British pound coin instead of an African girl.” READ THE FIRST CHAPTER OF ‘THE OTHER HAND’ “Shocking, exciting and deeply affecting” – THE INDEPENDENT “There’s one true story in particular that made me determined to write the novel.” “We must see all scars as beauty. Okay? This will be our secret” “Where can I learn more about Nigeria, London, and the real world of refugees and asylum seekers?” |
* SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER * Shortlisted for the 2008 Costa Novel Award * Nominated for the 2009 Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best Book * Longlisted for IMPAC Dublin Literary Award * A New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice |
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| Note: THE OTHER HAND is published in the US and Canada as LITTLE BEE | |||
Entries (RSS)
I have just finished reading your book. It changes ones view of another subject – immigration. Behind every immigrant is a story, some more powerful than Little Bee’s. Unfortunately it reinforceds ones ignorance of so many plights in the world. The media create a picture for us, which invariably is wrong. When I see a refugee I will always think of Little Bee. Most of us in the UK dont know what it is like to live in fear. We are all truly ignorant.
Thank you for that amazing book. It really moved me. You must be a wonderful and insightful being, I wish the world had more people like you in it. Shine your’e light!
love, love love.
I have just this second finished the other hand and I thought it was absolutely fantastic! I am very picky about books so you are lucky that I love it. Normally with books that have one chapter as one person and the next with another, this one works!! Thank you for good read I loved it!!!!!!!
Jonners
I have just finished reading ‘The Other Hand and can honestly say it is one of the best books I have ever read. I found it informative, and the storyline absolutely gripping. I can only thank you for attempting to educate further on an issue that is so blindingly unrecgnised in this country. Please keep writing!
Sara Williams
Have just finished reading The Other Hand – has left me truly stunned and speechless.
Chris,
I picked up your book off the shelf of the school library simply because it had a ‘different’ kind of cover. Quirky, clearly symbolic though I didn’t understand the smbolism, and a little bit intriguing (I’m talking of the orange one with the tree).
I opened the first page without hope or agenda and thus it was only several hours later, when I looked at the clock and realised I was mean to be waking up for school in a few hours time, that I realised I’d stumbled upon something that deeply touched me.
The very human suffering, the disarming, debilitating insights into our culture- you truly have created an absolute masterpiece of literature and since finishing your book (some 3 months ago now) whenever I look at my hand, I think about using the other one. I think that’s a sign you’ve truly succeeded. Well done. And Thankyou.
hamish
I am studying English language for A level and I wanted to broaden my reading, I luckily stumbled across this book. I love it. I love the way that this book takes you all over the world into different people’s lives. It is brilliantly well written. I can’t express the enjoyment that this book gave me! I have recommended this book to my teachers, and I am presently writing a review on it. well done and thanks again!
I have just finished reading The Other Hand and I would like to thankyou for the blessing of this story. I felt that a part of me had gone when i completed the book this afternoon; such a bittersweet joy, one minute comedy another tragedy. A completely engrsooing story.
Hello Chris, I am currently writing my own first book and have jsut finished reading ‘The Other Hand’ – it’s a book that will be ‘with me’ just like ‘Chariots of the Gods’ remained with me, as did ‘The Kontiki Expidition’. I am a different person now to that which I was before I read your book. It was an incredibly powerful insight into the experiences, thoughts and feelings of those in that position – the rock and the hard place. Thanks you for wiritng it. Since then, I have jsut begun to read, ‘Incendiary’ – and it’s gripped me as little Bee’s story did. I can only aspire to write half as well. Thank you.
Dear Chris
I just finished reading “The Other Hand”. It is really a splendid work and I truly greet you for shedding the light on the issue of refugees and their plight not only in the UK, but elsewhere too.
I had an experience working with refugees and I know how hard for them to think, just think, of getting back again to that place they fled from. I fully understand Little Bee’s constant fear of “The men” whom might come one day again and I heard the same from many female refugees. I like, though, the optimism carried and showed by Little Bee despite her previous experience.
You have now a great fan and looking forward reading your new book (if any) and meeting you in future events. Thanks!
Wow! I could ill-afford the time but simply could not put this book down. Totally absorbing, frightening, uplifting & a reminder to us all to question everything – particularly government for they supposedly act on our behalf. This book is a keeper & will not be part of a garage sale any time soon.
I am now looking forward to reading Incendiary.
I recently read The Other Hand, and I must say, I haven’t been so affected by a novel in a very long time. It is definitely one of the best books I have read, and I’m glad I stumbled upon it when I did. Honestly, I usually avoid reading novels that deal with such heart-wrenching and real situations (war, refugees, , somehow the writing always seems forced, the tragedy extravagant, as if it’s written only to make the reader feel sad, and usually I feel like I got nothing from those novels except the temporary feeling of distress over the world’s unfairness. This time, instead, I was captivated, I was moved, from beginning to end, nothing felt off or forced with the storytelling, and it really made me think, it really touched me. Thank you.
There’s also something I wanted to ask you. I live in Greece and although I wanted to share this book with my friends, most of them are not willing (or able) to read in English. Is there a translated version coming out?
It’s two a.m, I’ve just finished reading the story of ‘Little bee’ and I’m now writing you a ‘thank-you’ post and putting my feelings(that you brought) on my diary. I’m absolutely delighted to have read one another greatest story, and you have now a great fan in SOUTH KOREA. Thank you!
Hi Chris,
I just finished reading Incendiary. It was very capturing. I am not English but lived in London for 4 years. I felt like I was back in London while I was reading the book.It is brilliant how you described invisible cast sytem in UK. Congratulations.
Hi Anthi – thank you for your very kind comment. Yes, there will be a Greek language version coming out soon (in 2010 I think). Best wishes, Chris
I was interested by your book ‘The Other Hand’. It reminded me strongly of ‘I am David’ by Anne Holm, a children’s book about a boy fleeing from a concentration camp in some unidentified eastern bloc country. The voices of Little Bee and David are very similar in terms of their naive and indomitable honesty. However, I read your book with mixed feelings. It was worthy to write a novel about such a politically unacceptable state of affairs, in the tradition of Dickens; such social injustice is surely worth exposing. Nevertheless, I was dogged by misgivings which, paradoxically, only served to strengthen my desire to finish the book. I found some of the characterisations bordered on caricature, notably the girls with whom Little Bee found herself incarcerated. The Batman child with his repetitive grammatical errors was overdone. The usurping editor of the woman’s magazine was only a step away from something from ‘Absolutely Fabulous’. Perhaps they were intended as light relief amongst the pervading tragedy in the tradition of the Porter in ‘Macbeth’. These characters seem to have been written in some form of shorthand, their strengths and weaknesses flagged up in rather obvious and unsubtle ways. I was also disappointed by the plot twists based on coincidence and improbable events such as Little Bee hanging around in the journalist’s garden (having found her way on foot from Essex) only to be there in time to have a conversation with him as he hanged himself. I really didn’t like the ending with its somewhat heavy-handed signal about ‘hope for the future’. Would a widowed mother really have been stupid enough to go back to Africa where the tragedy began with her son, jeopardising his life and her own in order to salve her conscience? Thanks for the opportunity to respond. You have certainly written a page-turner with a strong message that was worth conveying, for which much thanks. I suppose I just think it would have been a better book if it had been a bit more understated and subtle.
This is the best book i have read in terms of depicting the true nature of the experiences faced by refugees. As an African decent myself i can understand the way the characters were presented and the issues they face as a result of being an asylum seeker. Perhaps for the few that do not agree with the author it may be because of their lack of courage to state the obvious and hence blaming the person that has done the job for them is just cowardly. I truly appreciate the work of the author and hope to read more of your books.
Its been a pleasure!
Regards,
Mahyla
This book brought to my awareness what is going on in Nigeria (and doubtless elsewhere). People are being massacred by mercenaries/solderies, hirelings of multinationals such as oil companies because they want the land. Also, beyond our line of sight, all manner of atrocities are perpetrated on both groups and also individuals. Civilisation is only a thin veneer that has to be vigilently safeguarded.
Having just finished reading The Other Hand, I actually feel as if I am grieving for the empty space that it has left! What a beautiful, sad and inspiring book.
I picked TOH up at the same time as Incendiary. I read Incendiary first and was totally gripped from the start, managing to complete it in 3 nights! I almost believed that the second book could not compare. How wrong I was. The Other Hand is outstanding and a truly thought provoking story. Little Bee is such a lovely character and I fell in love with both her innocence and wisdom and her absolute faith in the beauty of life and memories.
Thank you so much for giving me 2 weeks of utter reading bliss! When’s the next one out?
I am about halfway through The Other Hand & I have to say it is one of the best books I have ever read & I am 60 yrs old and read a lot. Why haven’t I heard of Chris Cleave before? I shall certainly find his other books & will look out eagerly for any future ones.
This is the best book I have read in years. I cried all of the way through it, sometimes due to its raw sadness and the rest of the time through its humour. I was going to lend it to be friends, but for fear of not getting it back I think I will buy them copies. This is a book that everyone should read, if they did maybe it could change things.
I can only say that I am a little disappointed to find that ‘Little Bee’ is infact just the US title of the book, I was hoping to find it was a sequel!
I read The Other Hand, in around 4 hours, and felt such sadness when I finished it. I closed it on the bus on my home from work and ended up bawling my eyes out. For all it was so sad, it left me feeling uplifted.
I have now told all my workmates about it, following the instructions of the blurb in the British edition.
Amazing book, one of my all time favourites, and I read a lot.
Congratulations.
I just finished reading this last night, standing at a bus stop outside my flat, because I was six pages from the end and had a toddler and husband waiting for me at home and I knew I wasn’t going to get through those six pages if I stepped inside. So I kept reading in the cold and wet with people blowing past me like fish swimming in and out of light, and with the rain on my cheeks came the tears. This was a beautiful book. My work involves reading a lot of testimony from victims of human rights abuses. You read so much, you become immune. Every now and then, something sinks your stomach, re-connects you with humanity. Thank you for giving me that feeling again.
Very happy to read this. Thank you Shiromi. And sorry you got rained on.
I found this book in a cubby hole on a catamaran in St Vincent. It had no cover and looked a little shabby. Since I needed another book to read on my sailing trip, I thought I would give it a look. I was captivated from the very first sentence. This is such a powerful book on so many levels. It’s a story of relationships, of one society’s invisible abuses as well as the very visable and brutal abuses of another, and of the intangible quality of resilience that some people possess. The power of courage, the power of self-hatred, the power of love, the power of self-transcendence. The characters are so well-drawn I felt I would recognize them if I met them on the street. Thank you for such a heart-warming, heart-rending story.
chris, not since reading -a fine balance, by rohinton mistry have i been so moved by a book. i laughed outloud on the commuter train and held my breath and tears in the bath,allowing my children extra time before lights out, and an ability to cajole them to sleep. I read on the other hand within 24 hours and time stood still.
thank you. Debbie
Dear Chris,
Thank you very much for that perfect book. I wish you all the best. Regards from Turkey:)
Gizem
hi chris ,
ive finished little bee in 2 days and now I’m crying, how could you think them I really wonder that was the most perfect novel that I have read. I’m going to make my friends read it and they wonder too because I’m saying everyone that ‘the book is perfect’
thank you for this novel
Best regards from Türkiye (:
hi chris,
this is the first time i’ve ever written a comment to an author after completing a book in my 45 yrs! I generally have little time for reading these days but on a business trip to Europe this week I’ve made good use of idle waiting time at airports and the flight to crunch through the book in record time – i finished your book at 2 a.m. this morning. I have to admit I’d never heard of you but was loaned it by a colleague who thought I would enjoy it – she was right. her reasoning for assuming I would is that I am of Nigerian descent. Having been born in the UK and lived here most of my life. I am carerer girl, a company director, living in leafy hertfordshire and in my day to day life I associate more with Sarah’s character. This means the Nigerian scenes plus Little Bee and her sister’s experiences struck me on a number of levels. I have a daughter about the same age of Little Bee….. My daughter has just started reading your book…..I can’t get the book out of my head and heart and don’t expect I will for a while. Thank you.
regards, Chris
more beautiful. ı am from turkey and speak turkish. kitabınızı turkce cevirisinden okuyorm bir agbimin hediyesi. hikayeniz ve duyarlılığınız mukemmel. sizi taktir ediyorum ve zın devamını diliyorum. byy
Hello Chris,
I have just finished On The Other Hand and want to tell you how much I enjoyed reading it. Although it is a work of fiction, stories such as Little Bee’s can be told over and over again by people who have lived through terrible regimes and who have managed to “escape” only to find themselves in detention somewhere. I live in Australia and as I’m sure you are well aware, we’ve had issues with the detention of asylum seekers here-issues which caused much distress amongst those of the population who have hearts and hated the way people were detained and processed and the length of time it took before a decision was made as whether they were true refugees or not.
I knew nothing about you before I was lent this book, and in fact I thought you were a woman until I saw your web page just now. That’s a compliment, because I believe you described the female characters so well.
Stories like Little Bee’s need to be told so that those who are lucky enough to live in peaceful, well organised countries can gain some understanding of the plight of others far less fortunate.
Thank you, Jane
Hi,
I want to thank you for writing ‘the other hand’. My God, I have only just stopped sobbing and that is not because I am left merely sorrowful from what I have read, but because I am moved in so many ways, deep to the core where only those who have lost, profoundly lost, can recognise; a place we each can recognise if we are brave enough to go there. You are brave enough, motivated enough and talented enough, to lead us there, and I think you can help some of us help to make a difference. Indeed, it seems from the responses on this site that you have moved many of us already. I was leant the book and I am going to lend this book until it falls apart.
Thank you for your humanity and for your willingness to write this book,
I’m going to miss Sarah and Little Bee.
Louisa
Hi Chris,
Thanks for writing this book. I really enjoyed it. Unlike Nicholas above, who himself needs to be more subtle, I enjoyed all the characterisations. Life is full of many varied people and yes a woman would return, with her son, to the scene of such horror to compensate for her feelings of guilt. You will also be pleased to know that I had to buy the book twice as I left the first copy on a plane somewhere in America while I was half way through the book. I should not have put it down!
Kind regards
Andy
Hello Chris,
I have just fınıshed on the other hand and I want to visit your web sıte. I really enjoyed it. thıs ıs the best book I have read ın thıs year. Thank you for that book.
I want to see you in Turkey for singing day
Best regards from Turkey..
Important truths are told through “The Other Hand”. This was one of the most moving stories I have ever read. I loved the way the back story and the main story were intertwined. An insightful and incredible novel.
Thank you for sharing it with us all.
Thanks Chris for writing this book. I picked it up and only put it down to sleep a few hours and finished it this morning. Thank you, thank you. It is very powerful.
Kitabı bitirmek için yarattağım zamana inanamıyorum. Çünkü günlük hayatımız o kadar yoğun geçiyor ki… Böyle sürükleyici bir kitabı yazdığınız için siz Chris CLEAVE’e sonsuz teşekkürlerimi sunuyorum.
i read your novel and i’ve read it after i have read half a yellow sun by a nigerin author called tchemama ngozi adtachi (i hope i spell it right) and it is amazing to see that after 40 years it is still the same in africa and things don’t change easily your novel is an amazing piece of art
“the other hand”… touched me!.. it took me behind the scenes, making me take off my rosy tinted specs!
you are such a beautiful story teller! thank you!
Hi Chris
What wonderful turns of phrase and perfectly observed reflections on our society. Your writing is beautiful and the book was one of those rare ones I’ve been telling everyone to buy and read. It’s made me rethink my views on immigration and Africa and whilst I totally I agree with others that Little Bee was a wonderful character, I’d also like to say that Sarah’s story was powerfully told and she was absolutely believable. If some have mentioned the caricature nature of the features editor, it’s all true!
I can’t wait for book 3!
Thank you
Lucy
küçük arının da dediği gibi iyi numaraydı.
hi,
I absolutely LOVED “Little Bee” and can’t stop raving to anyone who will listen! What a perfect book.
I am curious about the 2 different titles and wondered what your preference was and also why the 2 different titles. I am going to go out on a limb here and say that if this is made into a film and cast right (especially batman) it will sweep the OSCARS!!!
You are my new favorite author and have spoiled me for my next read now I have to go buy Incendiary!Keep writing!
Hey. This is the best book i have ever read and I think it is beautifully written. You are a fantastic writter. Your writing is so emotional and i just loved every second of it. I am now reading the Incendiary which is also amazing so far. I cannot wait for another book by you i will buy it straight away. I have recommended your book to many of my friends so i am looking forward to hearing what they think of it. Thank you for writing such wonderful, perfect novels
x
Little Bee was brilliant and memorable. This book will stay on my shelf of “keepers.”
Re: The Other Hand
Bravo and thank you for writing this wonderful book Chris!
I’m half way through and I’m rationing myself to a few pages a day to make the sheer joy of reading your words last…
I’m at the end (exams and revision) of a Montessori 3 to 6 year old diploma course and your descriptions of Charlie are spot on and so funny! Just what the doctor ordered to lighten my revision and remind me why I’m doing the course.
I always have at least one book on the go. Your book is up there with other recent favourites:”A Case of Exploding Mangoes” “Cloud Atlas” “A Fine Balance” “The Map Of Love” “A Thousand Splendid Suns” to name a few.
All the best to you and your family,
Myrto
Hi Cris, I started to read your book, not yet.Some books to read before I love research.A wonderful book I will read some comments from , I wish you continued success
Mr. Cleave,
Wonderful, gripping book. Can we have a sequel? What happens next to Little Bee? To Charlie? To Sarah? Does she keep Lawrence? Does she become harmed or imprisoned? Does she get her story out to the world? Even an epilogue would be great, stating how they all end up. Thank you, and looking forward to reading Incendiary…
Mr. Cleave thanks for sharing us such a impressing book . I am mentioning little bee .. I will read your other book as soon as I can reach..
I wish you everytime write facts …
Mr Cleave- What an amazing book!!