Tiny Things Are Heavier

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A01=Esther Ifesinachi Okonkwo
African literature
Americanah
Author_Esther Ifesinachi Okonkwo
campus novel
Category=FBA
Category=FXB
coming of age
debut novel
diverse voices
eq_bestseller
eq_fiction
eq_isMigrated=1
eq_isMigrated=2
eq_modern-contemporary
eq_nobargain
immigrant fiction
literary fiction
Nigerian novel
The Tiny Things are Heavier

Product details

  • ISBN 9781786586940
  • Weight: 484g
  • Dimensions: 165 x 243mm
  • Publication Date: 14 Aug 2025
  • Publisher: Bonnier Books Ltd
  • Publication City/Country: GB
  • Product Form: Hardback
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Longlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize 2026

'A gracefully told and sharply observed debut' KILEY REID

'Such a sincere blast to read' KAVEH AKBAR


The Tiny Things Are Heavier follows Sommy, a Nigerian woman who comes to the United States for graduate school two weeks after her brother, Mezie, attempts suicide. Plagued by the guilt of leaving Mezie behind, Sommy struggles to fit into her new life as a student and an immigrant. Lonely and homesick, Sommy soon enters a complicated relationship with her boisterous Nigerian roommate, Bayo, a relationship that plummets into deceit when Sommy falls for Bryan, a biracial American, whose estranged Nigerian father left the States immediately after his birth. Bonded by their feelings of unbelonging and a vague sense of kinship, Sommy and Bryan transcend the challenges of their new relationship.

During summer break, Sommy and Bryan visit the bustling city of Lagos, Nigeria, where Sommy hopes to reconcile with Mezie and Bryan plans to connect with his father. But when a shocking and unexpected event throws their lives into disarray, it exposes the cracks in Sommy's relationships and forces her to confront her notions of self and familial love.

A daring and ambitious novel rendered in stirring, tender prose, The Tiny Things Are Heavier is a captivating portrait that explores the hardships of migration, the subtleties of Nigeria's class system, and how far we'll go to protect those we love.

Esther Ifesinachi Okonkwo is a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop, and a second-year PhD student in Creative Writing at Florida State University. Her fiction has appeared in Isele Magazine, Guernica, and Catapult. She's a recipient of the 2021 Elizabeth George Foundation Grant.

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