Books of the Month

'The Other Hand' by Chris Cleave

The Other Hand is a double header, a dual narrative told in alternate sections by Little Bee, a young Nigerian girl (who has learned great English since being stuck in a UK detention centre) and X, an English woman with a home counties upbringing, who edits a once-radical women's magazine. Both met under traumatic circumstances on an African beach several years ago, but when Little Bee turns up in England, both women have to decide if they can face their respective demons.

It's hard not to talk more about the story wihout giving it away, so I'll leave that for you to discover. I will say though that the book is intelligently written. At times it feels deceptively like a book for young adults - the prose is clear, accessible, entertainingly written. But the engaging style belies the subject matter of the novel - indeed the whole focus of the story is about confronting horror. So Cleave's choice to do much of it through a teenaged girl is a smart one.

Well worth a read - and check out Cleave's other book, Incendiary (since turned into a movie starring Ewan McGregor).

Susan Tranter

Back to main page