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Original poster

Am I the only one who thinks "The Other Hand" by Chris Cleave is absolute trash?

26 replies

Saker · 11/01/2010 15:20

I have read it for my book club. I know that many of them have really enjoyed it. I have looked at a few reviews and they all rave about it. Yet I think it is one of the worst books I have ever read. Really really poor prose, unrealistic stereotyped characters, unbelievable plot with huge flaws (like a refugee could walk from Essex to Kingston upon Thames in two days without food or water or rest and without knowing the way), deeply patronising to Nigerians and insulting to Britons implying we are all racist.... And am I cynical to think that by picking a controversial and upsetting central theme (ie the plight of asylum seekers) it means all that this is overlooked ?

Sorry I need to get this out of my system before my book group meeting since I don't want to spoil it for people who really loved it. But I would appreciate a bit of moral support - or am I just missing something totally with this book?

OP posts:
HairyMaclary · 11/01/2010 15:27

Oh I agree. My Mum bought me this for Christmas and I was really looking forward to reading it but it is so shallow! It could have been a really good, thought provoking book but instead it was deeply unsatisfying and at the end I regretted using my precious reading time to read it!

ChickensLoveMarmite · 11/01/2010 15:35

The only bit of this book which stayed with me was when Little Bee was recounting her sister's death. Really wanted to scrub the mental images it gave me from my head I actually liked Little Bee's character, though I admit to knowing very little about asylum seekers or Nigeria.

DickyTum · 11/01/2010 15:44

I thought it was alright. First book of his that I have read. There was something about the prose that made me want to carry on reading though I also thought the characters (esp the ones in the UK) were stereotypical.

If you'd asked me to guess, I would have guessed that Chris Cleave was a woman too, the way the book read. Don't mean that to be sexist, but just came across that way.

He has some experience of Africa I believe. I looked it up after I read the book because I have been to a lot of countries in Africa and wanted to know what sort of background he had.

E45 · 11/01/2010 15:45

I would rather stick pins in my own eyeballs than attempt that again.

Chulita · 11/01/2010 15:55

I didn't like it - thought it would be good but thought it was very stereotypical and definitely wouldn't recommend it. What a waste of 8 quid!

InThisSequinBraYesYouOlaJordan · 11/01/2010 16:02

A friend bought it for me for my birthday, I read the blurb and was really looking forward to reading it, and was, quite frankly, very disappointed. As above, thought Little Bee was a good character and there was an informative insight (for me anyway) into life as an asylum seeker.

But didn't really enjoy it, no.

skybluewinking · 11/01/2010 16:02

The reviews on the cover led me to believe that it would be better than it was.
Agree the plot was very clunky, it wasn't totally crap, had it's moments, but ultimately unsatisfying.

TheFoosa · 11/01/2010 16:07

I liked Little Bee too but HATED the woman with the kid who's name escapes me

it was ok, I've read far worse

Original poster
Saker · 11/01/2010 17:07

I'm glad that I'm not the only one who didn't think it was wonderful even if my view is a bit stronger than some .

OP posts:
Thingiebob · 11/01/2010 17:20

I was bought this for Christmas and like Chickens I found the bit about Little Bee's sister really unsettling. In fact, I got a bit upset and even the seeing the cover reminded me of that scene so my DH took the book off me and hid it somewhere in his office!

I'm a bit pathetic and hormonal at the moment being heavily pregnant and DH doesn't like seeing me cry.

I've haven't managed to pluck up the courage to start reading it again from that point. Instead I'm reading the sixth HitchHiker book by Eoin Colfer.

AnyFucker · 11/01/2010 17:24

I thought it was pretty rubbish too

oftenpurple · 12/01/2010 07:53

Have to agree, I thought it was terrible too. Did wonder if I was being a bit thick and missing the deeper message but discussed it at length in our book club and decided that my intelligence was firmly in place.

I thought the characters were very shallow. I hated the wife from the start of the book and thought she needed bringing back to earth.

wildfig · 14/01/2010 10:04

I read it all in one go on the train, and was swept along by -pmt- the emotional charge of it, but the more I thought about the mechanics afterwards, the more it sort of fell apart. Some of the behaviour really doesn't make sense, particularly the mother at the end, and it does, at times, feel like being beaten about the head by a rolled-up Independent.

Philothei · 14/01/2010 13:41

thank you thank you! I got more and more pissed off as I read it. Overly sentimental rubbish. Am so pleased others think so too.

Bobbiewickham · 14/01/2010 13:47

Chris Cleave total tosser anyway, imo.

Have you read his Guardian column?

He was the one who wrote the bf column that caused a furore on here.

Original poster
Saker · 17/01/2010 20:36

Really glad I'm not the only one! I have never read his Guardian column but now I understand why the book got good reviews from that paper.

OP posts:
AgentProvocateur · 17/01/2010 21:08

I read it for my book group too, and I didn't enjoy it either. I thought it was trash disguised as something else. I found it all a bit trite and unbelievable - especially when the woman and Little Bee returned to Nigeria together.

Don't like CC's columns in the Guardian either, but I'd finished the book before I put two and two together and realised it was the same person, so my thoughts on the book weren't coloured by my preconceptions.

GracieW · 17/01/2010 22:09

It was rubbish - my friend lent it to me. When I gave it back she said, "What did you think?"

I (trying to be polite) said, "Well, to be honest, I didn't really enjoy it."

She said, "No, I didn't either, I wanted to see what you thought!"

FFS!

MsMaryWollstonecraft · 17/01/2010 22:12

I don't like him either

his Guardian column is stuffed to the gunnels with smuggery and therefore utterly unreadable

...IMHO

HollyGoHeavily · 19/01/2010 09:55

I din;t enjoy this book either - there were massive plot holes and irregularities and I felt the characters were unbelievable. Quite disappointed as I thought it was going to be good - damn you bookcover reviews!

BigBadMummy · 19/01/2010 09:58

I read it on holiday. What a load of crap.

Chris Cleave, for example, is a twat.

iloverhubarbcrumble · 21/01/2010 20:59

Dreadful book.

tide · 21/01/2010 21:06

terrible. came to talk to my friend's creative writing MA. sweet guy but what undeserved success.

TennisFan · 21/01/2010 21:08

I was really disappointed by this book - didn't really live up to the reviews I had read about it.

mololoko · 21/01/2010 21:11

well intentioned but dreadfully written.

it did seem to raise a bit of political awareness amongst some of our book group that had bigoted daily mail ignorant ideas about asylum seekers so I guess it achieved something.

the bit on the back which says not to tell anyone what the book was about was irritating and pointless.

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