The Other Hand by Chris Cleave

From the publisher:

From the author of the international bestseller Incendiary comes a haunting, warm and beautiful novel about the tenuous friendship that blooms between two disparate strangers—one an illegal Nigerian refugee; the other a recent widow from suburban London.
 
Published in more than twenty countries, Chris Cleave’s first novel, Incendiary, won a 2006 Somerset Maugham Award and was an Observer Book of the Year and a New York Times Editor’s Choice. Incendiary is also a major feature film, starring Ewan McGregor and Michelle Williams, to be released in 2008.

The Other Hand tells the story of two very different women—a young refugee from the Nigerian delta and a suburban English housewife—whose lives collided years ago on a beach in Africa. Told in alternating voices, with humanity and humour, the story follows the course of their friendship as they struggle to save themselves and each other from the cruelties of life. In the end, their bond will face the ultimate test when each woman must make a devastating decision.

From the author:

Thank you so much for reading The Other Hand, a novel I feel very tenderly about. I hope you enjoy it! You are among the first readers of the novel in the world, and you are certainly the first book club to take it, so this is going to be a critical experience for me in more than one sense. Your reaction to the novel will help me in two direct ways - when I’m answering journalists’ questions about it over the coming months; and when I’m working on my current writing project. I take readers’ feedback to heart – you are the only teachers I have and your engagement is the only way I can make myself better, so I am truly grateful for any comments you have. And if you have any questions, I will be very pleased to answer them in the forum.

Having thanked you for your engagement, I would also like to thank Waterstone’s for their support. Waterstone’s is a unique retailer, run by people who genuinely love books and enjoy working with readers to seek out the best ones. From talking with them I know they make this work because they respect readers as much as writers do, which is all a writer can ask of a bookseller. Thank you.

Chris Cleave, 25th June 2008

Read more about Chris on his author page

Buy the book

Comments

[Lynsay Lambert]

Hey everyone!

I'm quite looking forward to the discussion on this, as the subject matter is definitely one which stirs up a good debate.

I made a start on this last night, and so far, i'm hooked! very well written, with great details. Unlike the last book, i dont think this one will have any problems grabbing (and holding) everyone's attention!!

[Georgina Tranter]

I agree Lynsay! I started it this afternoon and whilst I am only on Chapter 3 I am enjoying it. I must admit the grave scene was totally gripping and realistic. As a parent of a 2 year old and an almost born, I think about my mortality and that of my husband a lot and of how it would affect our children. That scene almost broke my heart.

[Neil Fulwood]

With impeccable timing, my copy of 'The Other Hand' arrived the day I finished reading 'Live and Let Die'; Sebastian Faulk's continuation of the Bond series, 'Devil May Care', had prompted me to revisit Ian Fleming's original novels. 'Live and Let Die' is an average 007 outing at best, and borderline racist. Particularly embarrassing is Fleming's attempts to write in dialect, resulting in such cringing awful lines as "whyn't yuh hush yo' mouff'n let me 'joy mahself" and "Yuh done look okay yoself, honeychile, an' dat's da troof".

So it was a breath of fresh air to read the first chapter of 'The Other Hand' and have Little Bee's voice rise from the page, a rich, homely patois full of warmth, hard-won ironic wit and razor-sharp observations. I was hooked within a few pages. The change of voice (ie. of literary style) in chapter two, narrated by Home Counties born magazine editor Sarah, was a jolt. Little Bee's narrative is an utter joy to read. Sarah's soon becomes tiresome. Still, chapter two effortlessly negotiated that most difficult of mise-en-scene, the juxtaposition of tragedy and dark comedy.

The suicide of Sarah's husband, her extra-marital affair, the bitchy office politics festering behind the scenes of her magazine, her son's Batman fixation, the awful debacle of the funeral - Chris Cleave weaves all of these together with a lightness of touch which never quite makes light of the serious bits nor entirely jettisons the dark humour to wallow in melodrama.

And for almost half of its length, the novel dazzlingly continues this feat. Everything moves towards an extended flashback on an African beach: unanswered questions, hints and clues are scattered throughout the first few chapters. That the scene will prove pivotal is a foregone conclusion. Even the deliberately vague cover blurb spells it out: "It [the book] is extremely funny, but the African beach scene is horrific."

When Cleave delivers, however, at just under the half way mark, the scene actually proves more contrived than horrific. I didn't buy the guard's inaction (he has a semi-automatic weapon, the mercenaries have knives - d'oh, that one's a no-brainer); I didn't buy that Andrew would remain docile throughout (my partner and I were assaulted late last year and even though it meant taking the brunt of the violence, I instinctively put myself between her and our aggressors - nothing heroic in the act, nothing noble, just something I did without thinking because it was what the situation called for); and I don't believe that Sarah would cut her finger off (for no other reason than it makes no sense for the mercenaries to hand their victims a machete - a weapon - that they could, however ineffectively, still try to fight back with).

No, the truly horrific scene, the one I had to force myself to read, the one it'll take me a long time to get out of my system - the scene that, more than anywhere else in the novel, gets the author's point across - is what happens to Little Bee's sister. This is the novel's sucker punch, it's shattering statement on the subject of man's inhumanity to man.

Everything that comes after - Sarah's chronicle of her affair with Lawrence; the emotional Mexican stand-off between Sarah, Lawrence and Little Bee; Charlie's disappearance, the (again) contrived catalyst that leads to Little Bee's repatriation - pales by comparison. The inclusion of Lawrence holds up the narrative. I appreciate that a main theme of the novel is female solidarity, but do the male characters have to be such dicks? Andrew is a pompous miserablist, Lawrence a limp lettuce leaf. Similarly, the central theme - the plight of immigrants - is so well-represented by Little Bee's narrative (she symbolises, humanises and makes understandable the plight of immigrants) that Cleave doesn't need to enforce the point by having one slimy member of officialdom after another pop up and, variously, accept sexual favours to release detainees or come out with dialogue like "you're going back to Um-bongo land".

I have no doubt that immigrants suffer racial epithets as well as physically indignities, but Cleave's depiction of blue collar, tattoo'd, tabloid reading guards is straight-out-of-central-casting cliche. That fact the all the other white characters are middle class and liberal emphasises how facile and simplistic this depiction is.

Still, when Little Bee is in control of the narrative, the novel soars. I raced through it in just a couple of evenings. All told, of all the Waterstones book club choices I've read thus far, it's been the most worthwhile ('Crusaders' I gave up on, 'The Sea Lady' was a chore, 'For One More Day' risibly mawkish, 'Merton Browne' went south after a brilliant first half, and 'Bright Shiny Morning' I remain deeply ambivalent about). If I seem vociferous about the parts of the novel that didn't work for me, it's because the rest of was so immediate, so effective and Little Bee's voice so irrepressible that I resented anything that didn't live up to this high standard of writing.

I realise I've typed about 1,000 words - probably the longest comment I've posted on this forum so far - and there's plenty of aspects of the novel I've not touched on. But enough is enough for the moment. I'll be reading, eagerly, others' comments over the next couple of weeks, and look forward to contributing to an ongoing discussion.

[Lynsay Lambert]

I finished the book last night, and wanted to take a bit of time to think of what i wanted to say about it.

I agree with Neil about the beach scene. There was a lot of buildup about it, and it felt like a kind of anti climax when it happened, the scene describing what happened to Little Bee's sister was worse. I dont know if we're maybe more hardened to this kind of thing from reading a lot, but like Neil something about the character of Andrew didnt ring true for me. I didn't like Lawrence either, he was selfish and didnt really have any redeeming features in my opinion.

Little Bee was the best character, and i think the book really made me think different about things that i would have taken for granted, which was highlighted by the parts when she's talking about how she would describe things to people at home.

Sarah was a strange character to me, i dont really know how i feel about her. i'll probably think about it a bit more and come back and post again as part of the discussion. I feel like i dont like her, but i'm not sure why? she wasnt particularly offensive!

Overall, i think the book was very well written, incredibly described and the details were amazing. i especially liked how the blurb said nothing about the actual story, as it intrigued me, although as i said above, i believe that hyped up the beach scene a bit much!

I'm looking forward to see how this discussion goes - this was a very well written book on a 'hot' topic.

Does anyone think that it was right that Little Bee got sent back home, as she had no papers? Or should she have been allowed to stay, as she had a sponsor and had made such an effort to learn english?

[Clive Wallis]

I'm just over halfway through and have not read the comments posted so far in order to avoid spoilers, so apols if I am off on a tangent, or repeating existing comments!

So far, I'm really, really enjoying it. Of the two protaganists, Little Bee is the more alive to me, and comes off the page fresh, funny and fully-formed. I am struggling a bit more with Sarah, but then I guess she is meant to be less likable, in that she is a portrait (reflection?) of the sleepwalking, uncritical, self-obsessed West, ignoring the slaughter in Africa until it literally lands on our doorsteps.

I'm looking forward to finishing the rest and will then read the other posts and dive into the debate. Thanks again Greg for a great choice.

[Georgina Tranter]

Oh no, have stupidly just read the above comments and now know some of what is going to happen. More fool me!!!!! Still, enjoying this one though so it won't put me off continuing.

[Neil Fulwood]

"Sarah was a strange character to me, I don't really know how I feel about her."

I completely agree with you, Lynsay. Sarah seems to waver between emotional instability (how many times in her narrative does she recount bursting into tears?) and incredible strength of character.

Andrew was definitely a non-character, there to advance the narrative by way of (a) his suicide and (b) his unfinished research on immigrants which Sarah commits to completing towards the end of the book. I wonder if, in real life, even with the memories of what happened in Africa and the knowledge of his wife's affair, Andrew would have taken his own life - particularly with a four-year-old son to think of.

Regarding Lynsay's question as to whether Little Bee should have been deported or allowed to stay, I think the novel could have gone into interesting territory if it had documented Sarah's fight to secure Little Bee's citizenship through legal channels.

[Clive Wallis]

OK, finished it this morning! This is clearly a book of the moment. I put it down, picked up this week's Economist and fell over a story about tribal attacks on oil installations in Nigeria. You just couldn't make it up..!

I'm coming from a different angle than some of the posts so far. The beach scene worked for me. I was so gripped that I didn't stop to sort through the logical steps like Neil did. However, what haunted me most was when Little Bee found Andrew. That chilled me. Well done, Chris.

I said in my earlier post, I struggled with Sarah. The first chapter in her office was a bit too close to Bridget Jones territory for me. I understand it was important to set up her life and her work as seemingly important to her, but I think it could have been done with a little more subtlety. I'm afraid I didn't grow any more attached to her as the book progressed. And don't even get me started on Lawrence!

Let me return to Little Bee. She is the stand-out character, a fabulous, funny creation that I cared about and was rooting for from the first line.

I think Chris Cleave has trod a fine line very carefully and has, in the main, succeeded. The Constant Gardener with jokes, anyone?

[Anne Cater]

I'm glad I read Georgina's last comment before I read the rest of the posts - I'm only 4 chapters in and dont want anything to spoil what so far is a perfect read for me.

I'm impressed with how well the two narratives work together. At the end of each chapter I've been left hanging on wondering what will happen and then become hooked on the new narrator's voice.

I'll be back when I've finished it, I darent read the above posts before I've done.

Maybe we should have some sort of SPOILER WARNING at the beginning of posts?

[Neil Fulwood]

"The Constant Gardener with jokes, anyone?"

I can see where you're coming from, Clive, but 'The Other Hand' is an effective work of fiction written in a fairly populist idiom whereas 'The Constant Gardener' is a genre-transcending work of art, a major achievement by a great writer at the height of his powers.

[Clive Wallis]

Ah, Neil, a le Carre fan! He didn't stay at the height of his powers for long. Absolute Friends and the Mission Song were both much weaker.

Anyway, back to Chris Cleave! I listened to the video clip on his website last night in which he talks about the absolute, internal beauty of people and of life itself. The Other Hand clearly celebrates this, and is ultimately life-affirming. This is a different position to le Carre's writing on Africa, and is what I meant by my throwaway comment.

Dare I say, Chris Cleave 'does' real-life better?

[Georgina Tranter]

Well I finished this last night, and did enjoy it. I have to agree with Clive about the beach scene, and the suicide description was quite horrible in that you could clearly picture Andrew hanging there looking at Little Bee.

One part of the book that really moved me (and no one else has commented on this yet) was the ending. When 'Batman' runs across the sand at the end and Little Bee risks her life to go after him rather than see him shot...well I just sobbed and sobbed (as I mentioned before as a mum and mum-to-be my hormones are rife particularly where children are concerned so I'll understand if no one else was particularly touched by this part) and then when he removed his costume and she revealed her real name - pure genius for me.

I loved the detention centre scenes and thought Chris Cleave brought out the characters with his use of description and language incredibly well. I didn't dislike Sarah and thought she was fairly plausible, however I didn't really feel anything for Lawrence, he just seemed like a bit-character really.

Overall this was a good book. Initially I was sceptical when reading the background blurb from Greg that came with the book, but I liked the fact that the back jacket of the book reveals nothing of what is going to happen. I think this will be a book that I recommend.

[Neil Fulwood]

Clive, don't get me started! A discussion on le Carre would be great!

I'll just say that I'm in complete agreement about 'Mission Song' - definitely his weakest offering to date; 'Absolute Friends' makes its point at the end, at makes it powerfully, but takes its sweet time getting there. Still, he had a decent run of great works, from 'Spy Who Came in From the Cold' through to 'The Constant Gardener'.

Don't know if Cleave does 'real life' better than le Carre - he's certainly good at depicting a different kind of life (I can't begin to imagine le Carre writing the scenes in the offices of Sarah's magazine ... just the name Nixie in le Carre novel would be wrong in so many ways). What always struck me about le Carre's Smiley novels was the minutiae of Smiley's fragmenting personal life juxtaposed with his clinically accurate, brilliantly thought-out professional life.

But, yes, back to Chris Cleave. I was interested to read Georgina's comments. Maybe it's because I don't have children, but the scenes with Charlie didn't affect me. The whole Batman idea was terrific and made for some great moments of comedy, but the climatic scene where he finally removes the costume and Little Bee reveals her real name came across, for me, like something out of a lachrymose Hollywood movie - I could almost see the soft focus camerawork and hear the violins swelling on the soundtrack.

[Kathy Clark]

I finished this book two days ago but wanted to mull it over before I posted. I wanted to think about the characters and let their stories sink in.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. I read it in two sessions and really wanted to know how it ended.

Interestingly I preferred Sarah’s character to Little Bee. I suppose because it was more ‘real’ to me. Never having been in the position of an asylum seeker I can only assume that the description was accurate. However as a professional working mother I sympathised with Sarah and how her early aspirations at ‘doing something to change the world’ had slowly been compromised until she herself ended up in a suburban prison. In my mind both little bee and Sarah were prisoners of different sorts.

One thing that struck me about the novel was how well Chris Cleve (a man) wrote about his lead characters (women). In my limited experience when I have read male author’s work with a female lead character it never rings true, there is always something that makes me think “oh that’s how he presumes a woman would think”, so credit to Chris for that!

As for the story itself, it left me wondering about asylum seekers, and how we treat them like cattle. It made me very sad and incredibly angry too – strong emotions from a book, so well done again to Chris. Particular moments such as the restrictions of sanitary towels really illustrated the atrocious conditions in which people are detained.

What I didn’t like was the ending, although it was probably inevitable, it was also disappointing. I wanted justice and freedom for Little Bee, I didn’t want her to be recaptured, and presumably killed. I had a bit of a groan really, as I read the last page and thought “he’s left it up to us to imagine how it ends!” But that’s my only real criticism of what I found to be an enjoyable, entertaining and truly enlightening read.

[Lucy Oakes]

I really enjoyed reading this novel – in fact, I devoured it in 24 hours. I was unsure about the subject matter when reading the initial blurb from Greg, half expecting a rant. However, the novel puts across its point without hammering it home too harshly.

I loved the character of Little Bee. As others have said, her personality shone through in every chapter. Her tone of voice was distinctive and engaging. I particularly liked her descriptions of the way we use language as she imagines how she would describe things to her friends at home.

I did struggle with the characters of Sarah and Lawrence. I can’t quite put my finger on what it was about Sarah. There was just a vague feeling of dissatisfaction with her chapters. Lawrence’s character seemed to be simply an additional factor in Andrew’s suicide and to emphasise Little Bee’s plight.

I agree with some of the other comments about the beach scene. I found the build-up of tension preceding the scene more dramatic than the scene itself. Having said that, it was what happened to Little Bee’s sister that was truly horrifying. Little Bee’s matter-of-fact recitation of what happened only reinforces the terror.

Overall, a good read that I will be recommending to others. I had a look at Chris’s website, too, and I highly recommend that others do the same. Some of his columns for the Guardian made me laugh out loud and I loved the ‘How to be a literary writer’ video!

[Clive Wallis]

Chris did invite questions from us and having read all the posts so far, an obvious one would be "Did you make Sarah unlikable on purpose, as a caricature of 'the West' or does she just seem that way by contrast to Little Bee?"

[Anne Cater]

I have gone through so many emotions whilst reading this, from anger, despair, pity and sadness.

I've shed a tear a couple of times - I agree, the scene at the end on the beach where LittleBee saves Charlie was wonderful - I dont have any children and I'm not very cynical so I didnt consider the 'Hollywoodness' of this scene, but looking back I can understand what you mean by this.

The African beach scene was horrific to me - but I agree, the scenes concerning Little Bee's sister were far worse.

I quite liked Sarah too - and of course she cried many times; she'd been threatened with death on an African beach, she'd cut off her own finger, her husband committed suicide, she felt guilty because she was having an affair, her son thinks he is Batman - I'd be crying too.

As for it not being realistic that Andrew would commit suicide - I dont agree with that either. Andrew's character wasnt expanded enough for us to judge whether he would or would not do that. I know of young married men with children that have committed suicide - when people are at that stage there is little that is going to stop them, including children and family.

I particularly enjoyed the way that Little Bee re-told what she saw in Britain as if she were telling it to the girls back home. By doing this Chris Cleave has given an insight into how different the cultures are, without it appearing that Little Bee is constantly amazed and confused.

I struggled with Lawrence's character and dont really know what he added to the novel - well I dont think he added anything really - he wasnt needed.

Yes, I think there may have been some stereotyping going on with the detention centre staff, the escorts, the police etc - but I was interested that the guard who insulted Little Bee at Heathrow was a woman.

In all, I really enjoyed this novel. I learnt from it and it made me consider certain things that I've not thought about before.

As for whether LittleBee should have stayed? I dont really know - it would have been a nice, happy ending, but I dont think that is what Chris Cleave wanted to do.

I'm enjoying the debate about the novel too.

[Caroline Gardiner]

I found this a gripping read, and the simple language of the two characters made me want to keep turning the pages. Unusually for me, I read the whole book in a day. I felt very much that I needed to know what happened next at the end of each chapter. Moving between the two women's narratives was a good way of achieving this. I found Little Bee's story very moving, but it did have a fantasy feel about it. Somehow her getting out of the detention centre due to a computer "fraud", and then walking to Kingston on Thames without food or money didn't quite ring true. Things like this may happen in real life, the point is that it didn't quite ring true for me. So it meant I enjoyed the book on a story telling level, but found it hard to engage with Little Bee's story as a reflection of the real problems facing asylum seekers. It didn't feel real. Which is a shame, because at the start of the book, she was such an engaging character, and her situation so poignant, that I felt sure I was going to be challenged in my views about asylum seekers. I wanted that to happen, I wanted to be prompted by the book into thinking about the issues the story raised. Even the kindly though surly farmer offering the women refuge when they first left the detention centre felt like he was in a fairy story, rather than drawn from real life. There's nothing wrong with a fairy tale approach, I really enjoy those kinds of novels, but it seemed to sit a little uneasily with the theme.

[Adele Winston]

Sarah isn't unlikable; she simply isn't predictable. Like most of us, she muddles along, doing her best. She doesn't plan to have a fairly tacky affair with a fairly resistible civil servant; she doesn't foresee rising heroically to the occasion not once, but twice, in defence of Little Bee. Like most of us, I guess, Sarah makes what she can of a not particularly good hand, and no, I certainly do not intend that to be a play on words.

[Denise Powell]

Another excellent book club choice which I really enjoyed. To pick up on some of the points raise above, of course Little Bee is the star of the novel but I have to say I really enjoyed Sarah's chapters too and didn't find her unlikeable at all. She says in one of her chapters that she realised early on that her marriage to Andrew was a mistake (and let's face it he was hard work) so I don't think she should be vilified for having an affair. She obviously loved her son very much and her actions on the beach and later when she takes Little Bee in when she turns up on her doorstep on the day of the funeral, proved to me what a strong character she was.

I agree that the character of Andrew isn't gone into in much depth, but I did understand how he could slide into depression after what he went through on the beach. I found the beach scene itself very powerful and I didn't find it hard to believe that Sarah would cut off her finger - I think it's impossible to predict how one would react when given the chance to save the lives of two people in that way.

I also agree that some of the authority figures are a bit clichéd, that's not to say that such people don't exist. My faith in humanity was restored by the farmer who gave the girls refuge in his barn after they'd escaped from the detention centre - I have to admit that I didn't think his intentions were going to be quite so honourable at first.

And finally I loved the character of Charlie, and found the way he hid from his parents' disintegrating marriage and his father's subsequent death behind his Batman mask very touching. It was nice to read in the Acknowledgements that the "four year old English idioms" in the book came from Chris's own son, 'Batman'.

Is anyone else inspired to read Chris Cleave's first novel, Incendiary? Another controversial subject and again the main protagonist is female - looks very interesting.

[S Jackson]

I enjoyed this book and was engrossed in it from the start.

I have not read any other books on a similar subject, so this was altogether something fresh for me.

I do agree with the comments below and believe that what we read of Little Bee's sister stayed with me more than the beach scene - although I felt this worked well within the story.

Lawrence really didn't seem truly realistic in my view and agree with Neil and Anne that he seemed quite weak.

I would like to hear the reasoning behind Andrew and Lawrence's characters and the authors opinion on our observations of them — that they were not really developed and seemed on the weak side.

I thought the details and descriptions were great and the writing made for a very readable book.

Some laughs, some tears and some very thought provoking instances.

[Helen Nash]

I finished this book sometime past midnight this morning - I just had to finish it! Really interesting comments here - I also had some questions about the plausibilty of the beach scene, but could swallow the guard's failure to use his superior weapon(youth, inexperience etc) and Andrew's paralysis/inability to act.

I loved the character of Little Bee - and also Charlie - and didn't feel the dislike for Sarah that some of you have mentioned - she's flawed, yes, but she learns and grows. Some of the characters did seem rather sterotypical (but then, so do some people I meet...) and I thought the novel worked as a criticsm of the relationship between developed and developing worlds.

I would recommend this book. There's some lovely writing, particularly in Little Bee's narratives. I was gripped by the story and moved, particularly by the ending but I'm not sure I really believed in the characters (apart from Little Bee - I liked her too much not to believe in her!)

[Anne Cater]

Like Denise, I really thought that the farmer had 'other plans' for the girls in his barn and was quite surprised and relieved to be wrong.

I do have Incendiary on my to be read pile and am now really looking forward to it.

[Alison Windle]

All I can say about this book is WOW, I am 3/4 through it and I really cannot put it down. The story is so sad yet makes you laugh too.Little Bee is such a great character. I have never really read anything like this and it makes you ask yourself, what really goes on in these countries. I will post some more once I have finished it.

[A.P.]

Slightly fraught time so have only just read the book! It's hard to come up with anything new to add to the discussion as I agree with some of the main points about the characters in the above posts. My heart did go out to Little Bee and her sister for they had done nothing wrong, except to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. A misfortune that happens to people all over the world for a variety of reasons.Not every asylum seeker is a political or economic refugee, but circumstances have arisen and forced them into that position. I know my friend would love nothing more than to return to her home country of Zimbabwae, which she has not seen for 20 odd years. My question to everyone is do you think that peoples attitudes towards asylum seekers maybe changed by a book like this, rather than some "worthy" report?