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book cover for The Tiny Things Are Heavier

The Tiny Things Are Heavier

A lyrical coming-of-age tale about how far we'll go to protect the ones we love

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Pub Date 14 Aug 2025 | Archive Date 14 Aug 2025
Bonnier Books UK | Manilla Press

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Description

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.

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...


Advance Praise

'Okonkwo's ability to skillfully narrate the triumphs, upheavals and disappointments of young love defies comparison to any other writer' VOGUE MAGAZINE, Best Books of 2025

'A gracefully told and sharply observed debut' KILEY REID, author of Such a Fun Age and Come and Get It

'Such a sincere blast to read' KAVEH AKBAR, author of Martyr!

'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, author of Perish and Holler, Child

'Okonkwo's ability to skillfully narrate the triumphs, upheavals and disappointments of young love defies comparison to any other writer' VOGUE MAGAZINE, Best Books of 2025

'A gracefully told and...


Available Editions

EDITION Hardcover
ISBN 9781786586940
PRICE £16.99 (GBP)
PAGES 288

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