Dragonfly Sea

Author Name: Yvonne Adhiambo

In its poetic language, the novel traces Ayana's journey of self-discovery, starting from Beit Island in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Kenya, passing through China, Turkey, and other destinations. The novel raises many questions about belonging, roots, religion, power, the marginalization of parts of the country in favor of central cities, and dreams of building great nations.

A young woman from Pitt Island in Kenya received a scholarship to study in China in 2005, the same year that marked the 600th anniversary of the first circumnavigation of the Western (Indian) Ocean by the great admiral of the Ming Dynasty (Hajji Mahmud Shamsuddin line), Zheng He (1371–1435). The young woman received the scholarship based on family claims and DNA tests that indicated she was, in fact, descended from a Ming sailor who survived a storm-stricken shipwreck and, along with others, found refuge and a sense of belonging on Pitt Island. The novel "Dragonfly Sea" is inspired by this historical incident.