What It Means When a Man Falls From the Sky

Content Warning: The source material contains references to and descriptions of sexual assault, domestic violence, warfare, substance use disorder, pregnancy loss, suicidal ideation, and the sexual exploitation of a minor.

Throughout the story, the author repeats the line, “Ezinma fumbles the keys against the lock and doesn’t see what came behind her” (7). In each case, a story about one of Ezinma’s relatives or acquaintances follows the line.

Ezinma’s grandmother worked too hard to be able to give Ezinma’s father much attention and eventually died when he was 13. His father’s new wife put him out of the house when he was 15. He survived by stealing. The Nigerian Civil War began when he was 21, and he became successful by amassing goods and selling them. He met Ezinma’s mother one night while raiding a farm.

Ezinma’s mother had been engaged prior to meeting her father. However, the engagement failed when the war started because her family were Biafra loyalists and his were not. Her family was forced to flee and soon faced hunger and poverty. While raiding a farm one night, she encountered a man who gave her a couple of yams. She returned the next night, and they sat together.