The Tiny Things Are Heavier
14 August 2025Imprint: Manilla Press
Synopsis
'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.
'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.
Details
14 August 2025288 pages
9781786586940Imprint: Manilla Press
Reviews
Esther Ifesinachi Okonkwo takes pleasure seriously. The brilliant, unpretentious music of her prose delights the ear, her twisty page-turning narrative delights the mind, and the wincing big-hearted bumble of her characters delights the soul. I love the novel's hero Sommy like a pal I could pick up the phone and call. Okonkwo's work embodies the Horatian commandment for writers combine the "dulce' with the "utile." The Tiny Things are Heavier is a profound, lasting debut, and it's also just such a sincere blast to read.Kaveh Akbar, NYT Bestselling author of Martyr!
A gracefully told and sharply observed debut. Okonkwo has produced a beautiful study and story of what we owe to our families, friends, lovers, and ourselves. Complex characters, wild intimacy . . . this one doesn't shy away from the truth of devastation.Kiley Reid, New York Times bestselling author of SUCH A FUN AGE and COME AND GET IT
A rich, complex and wholly moving account of just a fraction of a life that feels so wide and full that it's hard to believe it's fiction, and it's marvel to know that a writer like Esther Ifesinachi Okonkwo is only just beginning what I'm sure will be a long and stunning career. The Tiny Things Are Heavier is both a gut-punch and a warm embrace of a novel that is not soon forgotten.Ore Agbaje-Williams, author of THE THREE OF US
An incredibly moving portrait of a woman becoming. Esther Ifesinachi Okonkwo has gifted us profound writing and an exquisitely-realized cast of characters.LaToya Watkins, National Book Award-nominated author of PERISH and HOLLER, CHILD