Chapter summaries Cursed Daughters Oyinkan Braithwaite

Cursed Daughters Chapter 67 – Chapter III: The Price of Survival

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

In Chapter 67, Ebun forces her six-year-old daughter Eniiyi to take swimming lessons with a harsh, impatient coach named Mr Alieu. Eniiyi cries and resists, but Ebun remains stony, believing that learning to swim is a matter of life and death—the only way Eniiyi can survive if the water spirit Monife tries to call her into the depths. Mr Alieu throws Eniiyi into the deep end during the first lesson, and Ebun fights the urge to rescue her. Over 150 sessions, Eniiyi improves despite her hatred for the lessons, eventually becoming a competent swimmer. The chapter ends when a prepubescent Eniiyi climbs out of the pool, meets her mother’s eyes, and wordlessly walks away.

Key Events

  • Eniiyi’s first swimming lesson begins – Mr Alieu tosses the terrified six-year-old into the deep end.
  • Ebun suppresses her protective instincts – She watches her daughter flail but does not intervene, convinced the suffering is necessary.
  • Eniiyi endures repeated harsh coaching – Mr Alieu shouts insults like “Abi, are you deaf ni?” and pushes her to exhaustion.
  • Ebun nearly stops the lessons – She comes close but sees Eniiyi’s arms and legs working together, a sign of progress.
  • 150 sessions later, Eniiyi becomes a capable swimmer – The lessons transform her from a crying child into a prepubescent girl who can glide through the water.
  • Final confrontation – Eniiyi climbs out, wrings water from her hair, locks eyes with Ebun, and then walks away in silence.

Character Development

Ebun – Her maternal love is reframed as a cold, survival-driven resolve. She “harden[s] her heart” to Eniiyi’s tears, believing that temporary cruelty is the only path to protecting her daughter from a supernatural threat. The chapter shows her internal conflict (she nearly stops the lessons) but ultimately affirms her choice. The ending, where Eniiyi walks away, hints that this hardened love may have created an emotional chasm.

Eniiyi – Begins as a helpless, crying child and ends as a resilient preteen who can swim—and who has learned to distance herself from her mother. Her silent departure after making eye contact shows that she remembers every painful session and that the relationship has been permanently altered.

Mr Alieu – A minor but vivid character. He is impatient, verbally abusive, and seems untrained to teach children. He embodies the harsh, no-nonsense approach Ebun has chosen to accept.

Themes, Symbols, and Motifs

Maternal sacrifice as trauma
Ebun’s love is selfless in intent but devastating in execution. She sacrifices her daughter’s comfort and trust for the sake of physical survival. The chapter reframes the classic “tough love” trope as something closer to a necessary wound.

Water as threat and salvation
Water is both the danger (Monife’s domain) and the medium of safety (learning to swim). Conquering it becomes synonymous with overcoming the supernatural legacy of the Mami Wata curse.

The silent walkaway
Eniiyi’s final gesture—meeting her mother’s eyes and then walking away without a word—serves as a powerful symbol of severed trust. It echoes throughout the novel as a moment where communication breaks down entirely.

Repetition and endurance
The 150 sessions emphasize that survival is a long, grinding process, not a single heroic act. The chapter uses the repeated lessons to show incremental change, both in Eniiyi’s skill and in the growing distance between mother and child.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter 67 is pivotal for understanding Ebun’s parenting philosophy and the origin of the emotional rift between her and Eniiyi. It shows that Ebun’s decisions are driven by a desperate, supernatural logic rather than simple cruelty. At the same time, it makes clear that Eniiyi will not forgive the suffering lightly. The ending is a quiet but devastating turning point—the moment the daughter begins to pull away. This chapter also deepens the novel’s exploration of how inherited curses shape family dynamics, forcing difficult choices that leave scars long after the immediate danger passes.

Study Questions and Answers

  1. Why does Ebun force Eniiyi to endure such harsh swimming lessons?
    Ebun believes that if the water spirit Monife ever calls Eniiyi into the water, the only way her daughter can survive is to be a strong swimmer. She sees the lessons as a life-or-death necessity, not an optional activity. Her hardness is a calculated response to a supernatural threat.

  2. What does Eniiyi’s silent walkaway at the end of the chapter signify?
    It signifies a break in trust and communication. Eniiyi has learned to swim, but she has also learned that her mother will not protect her from suffering. The eye contact followed by a wordless exit shows that Eniiyi is emotionally withdrawing as she grows older.

  3. How does Mr Alieu’s teaching style affect Eniiyi?
    It causes immediate terror and hatred, but it eventually produces a competent swimmer. The chapter suggests that the method—though harsh and abusive—achieves the physical goal, while also contributing to Eniiyi’s emotional hardening and resentment toward her mother.

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