The Bone Sparrow Themes

The Bone Sparrow tells the story of Subhi, a 10-year-old boy who was born in an Australian refugee camp—and who has never left the camp. Subhi, his family, and the other people in the camp are Rohingya refugees. The Rohingya people are an ethnic minority from Myanmar, though the government refuses to recognize that the group exists—and so the Rohingya people are victims of violence and, as is the case with many in the…

Having spent his entire life in an Australian camp for Rohingya refugees, 10-year-old Subhi lives a life that many readers will likely find shocking. Subhi describes being unable to identify the components of the brown mush that constitutes the camp’s meals, measuring his height in “fence diamonds,” and reading appliance repair manuals in the absence of any other books. To Subhi, all of these things are normal—he’s never known any different. This allows the novel…

Young Subhi loves stories. His ba, whom he’s never met, was a poet and storyteller. Meanwhile, Maá tells “Listen Now” stories to Subhi and his sister, Queeny. Subhi loves sitting with the elderly people in the refugee camp and drawing pictures of what they describe. Subhi recognizes that while these stories certainly entertain, they also serve a greater purpose than just being fun. Maá’s Listen Now stories and Queeny’s stories of life back…