The simplified summary, that the pregnant African women cast overboard en-route to the Americas for the slave trade became the water-dwelling wajinru, caught my interest right away - a unique twist on mermaid legend and a fantastic twist on what became of those lost to the sea. Yetu, the current wajinru blessed - or cursed? - to carry the memories of all since the rest of the wajinru lack a long-term memory, has to lead a Remembering to share some of these memories with the others, to fill, if only momentarily, the hole in their spirits created by a lack of long-term memory beyond muscle/physical memory/instincts. I want to read more because I'm curious to see how this ceremony goes, how Yetu, who seems so close to fading away to the memories, will move forward in this story. I want to know more about the wajinru, how they became who they are, and if anything will change for them through Yetu's actions.
The cover caught my eye because the mermaid looks slightly more fish than human, something we don't see often on book covers. The descriptions in the book of the wajinru have me trying to figure out exactly how they look, and I look forward to getting more of a visual of them and their society.
The cover caught my eye because the mermaid looks slightly more fish than human, something we don't see often on book covers. The descriptions in the book of the wajinru have me trying to figure out exactly how they look, and I look forward to getting more of a visual of them and their society.