Recently I went on a weekend away and I was in desperate need of a new book. I had recently finished the book I was currently loving and was not yet ready to tap into my “read me” pile, and that Kindle I was hoping would have arrived has been replaced by the new version that won’t be delivered for 2 more weeks.

Without the luxury of the multi-thousand-title-capable Kindle (with the free 3G wifi; squee!), I had to be judicious on the book I would take along with the limited space and weight requirements of my baggage. If I have to pack paper for reading on trips, it’s a particular type of book I prefer to bring along … nothing too epic or overwhelming, yet not too slim that I finish it on my first layover. Magazines are nice but not what would satisfy my free time reading needs that were promised on this journey.

So it was off to the bookstore with the family to peruse the titles, to see what caught my eye. And what caught my eye was Little Bee, by Chris Cleave. The striking cover pulled me in but the synopsis on the back is what kept this book in my hands:

We don’t want to tell you what happens in this book. It is truly a special story and we don’t want to spoil it. Nevertheless, you need to know enough to buy it, so we will just say this:

This is the story of two women. Their lives collide one fateful day, and one of them has to make a terrible choice, the kind of choice we hope you never have to face. Two years later, they meet again–the story starts there …

It’s not the first time I’ve judged a book by it’s cover and been pleased with the results. Little Bee is at times a difficult read and it deals with heavy issues. But the unique voices of the characters bring their story to life, imbue it with humanity and make you forget that the writer is not a woman.

And that’s all I can say. I’m on page 172 of 266 and am torn between reading quickly to trace the character’s journey or to read it slowly and savor each word. I’m thrilled that this version has the book club questions and information in the back that will help me to continue in the world of Little Bee even after I turn the final page of her story. But you can be assured that I’ll follow the advice from the back cover of my book, which goes on to say:

Once you have read it, you’ll want to tell your friends about it. When you do, please don’t tell them what happens. The magic is in how the story unfolds.

Find your own copy here.