The Dragonfly Sea by Kenyan author Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor is historical fiction based on the little known fact of Chinese sailors being shipwrecked on the small island of Pate on Kenya's eastern seaboard some 600 years ago. It is a coming of age story of Ayaana, a small girl growing up outcast and fatherless on Pate until she claims a sailor Muhidin, as her father. When dignitaries from China come to Pate and do DNA testing, Ayaana, now 21 is chosen to by the emissary between the two countries, called the Descendant. Her journey takes her far from home but ultimately this is a book about homecoming.
Adhiambo Owuor's writing is so delicious it reminded me of the first time I tasted a mango, something unique, extraordinary and indescribable. Filled with Kiswahili phrases, the lyrical, poetic language of the book washed over me like a warm tropical sea from which I did not want to emerge.
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