Another Good Trick

That is a good trick. Chris Cleave performs several “good tricks” himself. Until close to page 150, I saw each of the characters as a specific, static type of person. Andrew was cowardly and depressed, Sarah was lonely and guilty, Charlie was just a curious toddler in a Batman suit, Little Bee was an innocent refugee, and Lawrence was some one dimensional mystery lover. Charlie could easily recognize any of these characters as a “goodie” or a “baddie.” As the novel progresses, the reader finds out more about the past that intertwines each of the characters. The more Cleave uncovers about the past, the more evolved and dynamic the characters become, and the more the line between “goodie” and “baddie” seems to blur.

Sarah evolves as we see her let Little Bee into her life and see her realize that she must fight for Little Bee’s well-being. The readiness and ease in having and hiding her affair with Lawrence caused me to think of Sarah as a woman with no backbone and no moral. I thought that would continue to be the case when Sarah hesitated on accepting Little Bee’s offer to let her stay and help; however, Sarah stands up to Lawrence and, despite his argument for Sarah to call the cops on Bee and send her packing, decides to make it her goal to get Bee’s papers.

Little Bee grew into a much more round character in my mind throughout this section of the novel. I noticed one little comment that displays how she has learned to manipulate others because of her background, “But I have noticed, in your country, I can say anything so long as I say that is the proverb in my country.” Little Bee not only notices “good tricks,” but she can perform them, too. We see that she can hold her own as Lawrence tries to scare her into running away again. She raises her voice and shows more complex emotion than she did in the preceding chapters. We also learn that Little Bee was present when Andrew killed himself; however, I do not think Little Bee was to blame for his death as she says. Because she tried to save him by lifting him and putting the chair under his feet, I think Little Bee abandoned her idea of revenge and saw Andrew as an equal human. Though the line is much less obvious now, I think Charlie will always say that Little Bee is on his side.