Small Bodies of Water

By: Nina Mingya Powles

Narrated by: Nina Mingya Powles

Home is many people and places and languages, some separated by oceans.

Where is the place your body is anchored? Which body of water is yours? Is it that I've anchored myself in too many places at once, or nowhere at all? The answer lies somewhere between.

Nina Mingya Powles first learned to swim in Borneo - where her mother was born and her grandfather studied freshwater fish. There, the local swimming pool became her first body of water. Through her life there have been others that have meant different things, but have still been, in their own way, home: from the wild coastline of New Zealand to a pond in northwest London.

This collection of essays explores the bodies of water that separate and connect us, as well as everything from migration, food, family, earthquakes and the ancient lunisolar calendar to butterflies. In lyrical, powerful prose, Small Bodies of Water weaves together personal memories, dreams and nature writing. It reflects on a girlhood spent growing up between two cultures, and explores what it means to belong.

©2021 Nina Mingya Powles (P)2021 Canongate Books

Detached and unconnected

On the positive side, the author’s sentence structure and word choice results in lovely prose.

However, I struggled to understand the theme of the book. The essays seemed disjointed and unconnected, leaving this reader unable to remember even one of them. Additionally, the author references dozens upon dozens of books, movies, and music for which I had no knowledge (save one). As I listened, the constant references became distracting and made me wonder if this book could have been accomplished with a list on a blog of her favorite books instead.

In the end, and I read the whole book, I’ve determined that I wasn’t the target audience for this book. The target audience seems to be someone of the same age, location, and life experiences as the author. I was unable to connect with even one thing this book covered.

When I read a book, I expect the experience to leave me changed in some way, whether that is through being entertained, educated, validated, or enriched. This book missed on all marks for me and left me unchanged. In another six months, I won’t even remember I read it.