There are a few storylines going on here - Calamity's finding ability, her relationship with her daughter Ife, the mystery of Calamity's parents, the sea people, pollution and imperialism. I tore through this book, and I know I missed some things. I anticipate rereading when I have a little more time on my hands. Calamity is a single woman in her 50s, proud, raunchy, and adventurous. After her father's recent death, she wrestles with feelings of loneliness/ undesirability and Ife's dissatisfaction with how she was raised. A combination of mistreatment and Calamity's stubbornness/penchant for insults have led to her current isolation. She's pretty homophobic (uses slurs during an argument, keeps children away from gay men because she thinks they're pedophiles or a bad influence, thinks gay/bi men carry disease, etc.), which becomes a prominent part of the story around the 2nd half of the book. The gay/bi men in her life set boundaries around what they're willing to do for her and how they're willing to be treated while also giving her a lot of grace (imo). A lot of this book is about Calamity reckoning with her decades of entrenched behaviors and seeing the necessity of change and possibility for improvement. In terms of the fantasy, I'd say the focus is on Calamity's finding ability. Due to language and habitat constraints, the sea people storyline mostly happens in the background, although they are important to the story.