A review by esessa
The Dragonfly Sea by Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor

5.0

Stunning. One of the things I loved most about [b:Dust|17883925|Dust|Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1367929565s/17883925.jpg|25047009] was how [a:Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor|7076927|Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1408409634p2/7076927.jpg] captured the essence of the aridity of the central Kenyan drylands in her prose. In The Dragonfly Sea, she does the same for the sea. The writing is mesmerizing, as are the characters and her weaving together of their stories. The regular back-and-forth motions of flashbacks that each lead forward through time to connect to the present give the book a cadence like the movements of waves. I did find some elements of the plot a little contrived (e.g., the relationship with Koray and its outcome), but that's forgivable. As a whole, this exploration of one woman's life plumbed beautifully and deeply many different facets of how humans struggle with longing, belonging, grief, place, and meaning. I also appreciated learning, through the perspectives of the Pate Island characters, how worldwide movements centered around terrorism and globalization are likely affecting the day-to-day lives of East Africans, whether it is the US "war on terror" leading to innocent people being kidnapped and tortured under fabricated accusations of terrorism to satisfy foreign governments' desires for action, or the increasing, creeping grasp of China for African lands, waters, and resources. Owuor has an incredible gift for weaving these stories with language that makes even the melancholy aspects profound and beautiful.