The Other Hand;
By Chris Cleave; Hachette;
Pages: 378; Price: Rs 295
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The Other Hand, Chris Cleave’s second novel, is about the plight of refugees in general around the world, and in particular about the treatment meted out to them by Great Britain. These asylum seekers who are fleeing their country after some traumatic event are usually imprisoned in detention centres, sometimes for many years. The author’s interest in this subject stems from the fact that more than a decade ago, he got a close look at the ugly realties of a refugee’s life. Talking about this on his website he says, “When we imprison the innocent we make them ill, and when we deport them it’s often a death sentence. I knew I had to write about it, because it’s such a dirty secret.”
Although the book is an important social narrative, the author has succeeded in his attempt to “to write an accessible story about a serious subject.” It is a fictional account of two women, Sarah, an Englishwoman and a successful magazine editor; and Little Bee, a Nigerian refugee. A very brief chance encounter between the two irrevocably changes both their lives. It sets in motion a series of events that culminate dramatically when they encounter each other after two years.
The author alleges that Nigeria, the eighth-largest producer of oil in the world, has been ravaged by bitter oil feuds. In one such feud, Little Bee witnesses the destruction of her village and the savage deaths of her family. Running for her life, she ends up in a detention centre in England. Then, freed by a quirk of fate, she makes her way to Sarah and her husband, Andrew, the only people she knows in the country. She inadvertently acts as a catalyst and the tensions that mark the couple’s lives reach a breaking point when she reenters their ambit. How do they know Little Bee? Will they be able to help her? What will happen to this 16-year-old girl? These questions drive the plot and they’ll keep you turning the pages to get at the answers.
The book is a gripping read; it’ll have you forging ahead, with bated breath, to find out how the two women are linked and what fate has in store for them. The story is told from both their perspectives, alternate chapters first giving voice to Little Bee and then giving voice to Sarah. It took the author a year to research the book and his meticulousness is evident in the novel’s rich details as well as the convincing narrative of the characters. Cleave believes in revealing his characters and their motivations one layer at a time. This technique works well for him, keeping the reader involved in the stories of the two women.
Short-listed for the Costa Novel award and the Commonwealth Writers' Prize, The Other Hand is more than just another good read; you’ll end up learning something.
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