Narratives of Displacement: Memory, Trauma, and Exile in Khaled Hosseini’s Sea Prayer

Abstract

Sea Prayer (2018) by Khaled Hosseini is an illustrative novella that conveys the refugee experience, highlighting the themes of memory, loss, and displacement. The book was written in response to the tragic death of Alan Kurdi, a young Syrian refugee child who had undergone a perilous journey across the sea. It is composed in verse and is a form of a letter from a father to his beloved son. In the letter, the father recalls their lost home while confronting the harsh realities of exile. The paper examines the exploration of forced migration, trauma and nostalgia, analysing how Hosseini portrays exile as a personal and collective tragedy. Ultimately, Sea Prayer acts as both a lament and a plea to humanise the refugees, showcasing literature's role in addressing contemporary humanitarian crises.