The Other Hand

This book was recommended to me a long time ago by a friend who eagerly told me it was an amazing book and she bought it based on the blurb alone because it intrigued her. So I decided to give it a go, as the blurb is one to draw you in and make you feel like you must know what the story is about. On average I would say it takes me about a week and a half to read a book, give or take depending on the amount of pages. This book took me over a month to read because it was so boring. The actual plot is one that could be highly gripping, however, the way its written has absolutely nothing to keep you wanting more. If anything, I couldn't wait to get to the next chapter just so I could put it down. The language used is borderline embarrassing as the author tries to write in the way he thinks somebody with a Jamaican accent would speak. The story is of a Nigerian girl who has escaped her country due to the horrors she has witnessed there. She starts her life in England, and the book, as a young girl in an immigration detention centre. Her, and three other girls manage to leave the centre as one of the girls has "convinced" the guards there to let them leave. They find refuge in a nearby barn, but Little Bee, the main character, leaves in the middle of the night and walks to Kingston in search of Sarah, someone who is an integral part of her past. You then find out why the two are linked and the story flits between present day and the past. As I say, it has all the makings of a good, heartfelt and warming story, but sadly, it has failed on all counts to be just that, and at some points, particularly the end, it is unrealistic. The ending was a disappointment, which didn't suprise me as the rest of the book was exactly that.

My words cannot describe this beautiful, sad book. You need to read it and feel it for yourself.

An amazing book. Beautifully written.