Skin of the Sea

Simi is the protagonist of Skin of the Sea. Her name means “follow me home” and symbolizes her Mami Wata duty to bring souls home to Olodumare. In human form, Simi wears a pink and gold wrapper, and as a Mami Wata, her wrapper transforms into “scales that flash like buried treasure” (1). Simi’s existence is divided. In her current state, she may change between human form, where she recalls the details of her past life, and Mami Wata, where the sea takes her memories away. At the story’s opening, Simi believes she knows who she is, but as she spends more time in human form, she realizes she doesn’t know herself as well as she thinks. As a Mami Wata, her desires and emotions are mellowed by the sea, and the more time she spends on land, the more she wishes for the life she once had.

By the end of the book, Simi has come to some conclusions about herself, which will likely be questioned in the sequel. Simi completes her character arc for Skin of the Sea by concluding that her personal desires are not more important than the needs of others. She cares for Kola and his village enough to sacrifice her happiness for a life deep in the sea at Olokun’s side.