SuitabookMayowa and the Sea of Words
Chibundu Onuzo
- Reading
- Pause after the family legacy is explained to discuss what emotions books might hold for readers. Later, talk about the refugee storyline separately, distinguishing characters’ views from the book’s broader treatment.
- Themes
- Words, books and empathy: Mayowa learns that feelings connected with reading can be stored in books and released through a family practice. The premise treats reading and language as emotionally influential, while also making them part of a playful fantasy mechanism.
- Refugees and public rhetoric: Mayowa befriends Hamza, described as a local refugee boy, while a parliamentary vote attracts xenophobic rhetoric. The book’s stance on this remains unclear.
- Family identity and inheritance: Mayowa has a Nigerian mother and white English father; her grandfather explains a tradition that her parents have not fully explained. The book’s stance on this remains unclear.
- Worth knowing
- The refugee and asylum-seeker storyline includes xenophobic rhetoric connected with a parliamentary vote. The book also involves a blind parent, family secrecy and a mysterious legacy; the intensity and resolution of these elements are unclear.