This is the story of two women. Little Bee is a refugee from Nigeria in Britain. Sarah is a wife, mother, and magazine editor, also in Britain. This is the story of how their lives collide and intertwine.

I’ve seen various reviews for Little Bee around and I admit I never thought I’d read it. I never would have, except I ended up at the airport without a book on my way home from BEA. There weren’t a lot of choices in the airport bookstore, but I saw this one on the shelf and I knew a lot of people had been talking about it recently.

It was a good choice. While I doubt the book will stick with me forever, it’s a solid literary adult book about the way decisions we make will affect us for the rest of our lives. It talks in depth about the broken refugee and immigration system in Britain, and it addresses issues such as infidelity, motherhood, and the balance between home and work. The writing and characterization are both strong. I liked Little Bee (the character) but didn’t care for Sarah or her choices at all, though she was (depressingly) believable. I don’t want to say too much about the plot and give things away, but it was a satisfying read in the way it was paced and the way it ended. A good choice for me when I was in a tight spot.