I had some audiobook credits to use thanks to the lovely people at @librofm (#gifted) to choose whatever I fancied, and as soon as I saw Little Family on there I remembered Anna's @never_withouta_book review! She mentioned that it was character-driven, with five orphans banding together to survive. Those 'found family' vibes had me adding Little Family to my cart in a second!

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And I wasn't disappointed. I fell for Ishmael Beah's Little Family of five. Their dynamics were lovely to read about. Khoudiemata and Elimane are like the big brother & sister, or maybe even more like mother & father, looking out for the others. Then there are Kpindi and Ndevui, who reminded me of cheeky twins although they're not related, and then Namsa. Namsa is the newest and youngest member of their family and the way they banded together to make sure she was always safe - my heart.

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Like Anna mentioned, it's mainly character-driven, with the second half focused on Khoudiemata finding herself and realising there's a whole other world, where women her age live carefree lives, never having to worry about where their next meal is coming from. When Elimane begins accepting jobs from the mysterious 'William Handkerchief' for good, but dubious, pay, and Khoudiemata starts spending more time with 'the beautiful people' she meets at the beach, it seems their little family is drifting apart. But their newfound circumstances come full circle, bringing them back together in ways they couldn't have imagined.

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It's set in an unnamed 'conflict-scarred' country, but Beah touches on themes such as the lasting effects of colonialism, corruption, and poverty. I enjoyed the audiobook narration by Dion Graham too, although I do still wish grown male narrators wouldn't attempt a little girl's voice 🙈

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I'll definitely be picking up Beah's debut novel, Radiance of Tomorrow, at some point, and A Long Way Gone, which is his memoir about his time spent as a child soldier in Sierra Leone.