The Other Hand : Chris Cleave

                                       Image Credit : Lacajatonta
The Other Hand uses one of the most intriguing marketing devices I have ever seen. What else can I say about a book that has its blurb "We don't want to tell you what happens in this story. It is a truly special story and we don't want to spoil it. " And then it goes on to say:

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. Two years later, they meet again -- the story starts there... Once you have read it, you'll want to tell your friends about it. When you do, please don't tell them what happens either. The magic is in how it unfolds.

Either you will fall for such a ploy or it will just raise your hackles. And then when you open the book, the publisher goes on to say, "You don't know me. I'm Chris Cleave's editor, and I'm writing to tell you how extraordinary The Other Hand is." Phew. Are we reading the greatest novel ever? I hate to disappoint that very enthusiastic publisher, but The Other Hand or the Little Bee as it is known in the U.S., doesn't justify the hype. But it is an exceptionally good read. Nigeria meets Surrey in this imaginative tale of two women crossed by violence. The action is taut, gripping, and although the plot thins a little, and stretches your incredulity at times, it is still a wonderfully well-told story. But there. I stop at that. It's not the most brilliant book of the century. It's not even the best book of the month. What it does is bring into relief the plight of refugees in the U.K, and through Little Bee, the young Nigerian refugee, I found a humorous yet realistic voice, who had me laughing at times in the novel. And then we have Sarah, a vaguely grammar-obsessed fashion editor with the most irritating child in the world (Ok, I am not into kids all that much, but hey, if you have a kid who refuses to take off his Batman costume, what would you do? I mean...the entire time...acts like Batman? If I were near such a kid, Batman would soon become Flatman). Her life becomes entwined with Little Bee on a Nigerian beach in the most incredible manner possible - personally, I found this a bit too hard to believe, but well their lives thereafter are defined by what happened on that beach.

The rest of the novel is all about redemption and finding meaning with an extremely unsatisfactory ending. Still, I liked The Other Hand even though a few other bloggers here and here have trashed it. The latter review, in fact, is brilliant and hilarious. The book has obvious flaws, but well, if you ignore the hype, and don't expect much, it is satisfying enough. And oh, please, IGNORE that irritating Charlie masquerading as Batman. Some editor, please take your editing knife, and slice out that character.

Verdict : Readable.
Rating : 3/5