As the novel’s protagonist, Eniiyi’s journey is a manifestation of The Struggle for Independent Selfhood Within Families. Her entire life is defined by the legacy of her deceased aunt, Monife, of whom the family believes she is a reincarnation. This belief places her in a constant battle to assert her own identity against the ghost of the past. Her physical resemblance to Monife is a source of continuous conflict, particularly as her grand-aunt, Bunmi, projects Monife’s life and failures onto her. Eniiyi’s recurring dreams of Monife on a beach symbolize the deep, subconscious hold that this inherited trauma has on her psyche.

Eniiyi’s character arc is driven by her attempts to break the cyclical pattern that traps her. Her relationship with Zubby takes on the guise of fate, mirroring the previous generation’s tragic romance, and Eniiyi fears that Monife’s unresolved desires are manipulating her from beyond the grave. To reclaim her agency, she makes conscious decisions to diverge from Monife’s path.

Ultimately, Eniiyi achieves a greater sense of liberation through understanding than she does through rebellion. Uncovering the full story of Monife’s death and the secrets kept by her mother, Ebun, allows her to differentiate her own life from her aunt’s