The Bone Sparrow: Chapter 1  Summary & Analysis

The narrator, Subhi, says that sometimes at night, the dirt outside the tent turns into an ocean. He listens to the waves while snuggled up against his sister, Queeny. Queeny thinks the ocean is stupid and just Subhi’s imagination, but their Maá can hear the ocean—Maá says some people can see “the hidden bits and pieces of the universe.” In the morning, Subhi observes the many ocean creatures that swam all the way up to the tent to peek at all the people in their beds. According to Queeny, nobody here sleeps in a real bed—they sleep in army cots. Subhi finds a shell that washed up with the animals, which smells like the sea. Though Queeny grouses that Subhi needs to grow up and stop being silly, she gives him some paper so he can draw the Night Sea and its creatures.

When he’s finished drawing, Subhi snuggles up with Maá. She’s having a “tired day” today, so he lets her sleep and digs through his box of drawings. When Maá feels better tomorrow, Subhi will show her this picture and tell her about the Night Sea. Now, he invites Maá to go get breakfast with him, but she says she isn’t really hungry. She hasn’t been hungry since Subhi was just 19 fence diamonds high—now, he’s probably 22 and a half fence diamonds high. Maá used to measure Subhi and Queeny on their birthdays, but she hasn’t measured in a while. According to Eli, Subhi’s best friend, Subhi is so hungry because he’s probably going through a growth spurt. Subhi explains that Eli used to live with him in Family Tent Three, but the Jackets (guards) made him move to the crowded Family Tent Four.

Subhi and Eli are in line for lunch, and to get an extra scoop, Subhi agrees with the man serving that he needs the extra food to “look after” Maá. However, Subhi doesn’t know what exactly the man means. And he’s still hungry, especially since there have been food shortages the last few days. Nobody looks ready to give up some of their food for Subhi, even when they find pieces of plastic in it. (Subhi sometimes finds flies or worms in the food, and he once found a human tooth in his bowl.) Though Eli says nobody should eat this food, he slides his half-full bowl to Subhi.

The Jackets hear Eli and step closer, touching their sticks threateningly, as Eli says that the food is just 12 days past its best-by date and is probably made of dog (as usual, the food is mysterious brown mush). Subhi notes that dog doesn’t come packaged in tubs, making Eli laugh and pound on the table. When this sends a bowl flying, Eli and Subhi race out of the Food Tent laughing—there’s no telling what the Jackets will do.

Once Eli and Subhi are far enough away from the Jackets, Subhi pulls out the shell and tells Eli that “Ba sent [him] another.” Eli clearly isn’t convinced that Subhi’s father is sending him gifts through the Night Sea, but Eli just says that Subhi’s father needs to work on making his messages easier to understand. Subhi agrees with this. The Night Sea has been bringing him treasures for “five seasons” now, and the treasures even make Maá smile. The Night Sea has brought Subhi a tiny statue, a green coin, and a pen, among other things. Nobody sees the Night Sea’s tides but Subhi.

Taking the shell from Subhi, Eli puts the shell to his ear and explains that he’s listening to the sea’s stories. He begins to share what he hears as other kids gather around to listen. Eli tells the story of a massive whale, one “as old as the universe and as big as this whole country.” It sings to the moon every night

Subhi lets Queeny listen to the shell later, explaining that the whooshing is the ocean. Queeny snaps that the ocean doesn’t sound like that. Maá listens to the shell for a long time, an “ache” in her eyes as she does. Subhi can tell she hears something, but she won’t say what. Subhi then listens to his shell one more time. He can hear Ba calling to him, saying he’s on his way. Ba has been on his way for nine years. Subhi doesn’t tell anyone he heard his father.