Copyright

ALSO BY CHRIS CLEAVE

Incendiary

Simon amp; Schuster

1230 Avenue of the Americas

New York, NY 10020

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2008 by Chris Cleave

Originally published in Great Britain in 2008 by Sceptre, an imprint of Hodder amp; Stoughton

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Simon amp; Schuster Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020

SIMON amp; SCHUSTER and colophon are registered trademarks of Simon amp; Schuster, Inc.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Cleave, Chris.

Little Bee / Chris Cleave.—1st Simon amp; Schuster hardcover ed.

p. cm.

“Originally published in Great Britain in 2008 by Sceptre, an imprint of Hodder amp; Stoughton.” 1. Young women—Fiction. 2. Nigerians—England—Fiction. 3. Identity (Psychology)—

Fiction. 4. Emigration and immigration—Fiction. I. Title.

PR6103.L43L58 2009 2008030689

823'.92—dc22

ISBN-13: 978-1-4165-9383-6

ISBN-10: 1-4165-9383-7

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For Joseph

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—from Life in the United Kingdom: A Journey to Citizenship (UK Home Office, 2005)

little bee