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novella42's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I had the rare experience of talking with the author briefly yesterday in a thread on social media (I feel okay sharing this here because it was in a public post). I mentioned I had picked up Noor recently because friends in disability circles had recommended it. She responded, "Noor was my first time (aside from my memoir) nakedly letting the story be about disability. My forthcoming novel is even MORE so. It’s time. I’m glad that Noor is making it to those circles! Yes!"
Needless to say, I went and found a copy of her 2019 memoir Broken Places & Outer Spaces immediately, since I wasn't aware such a thing even existed. And then I finished Noor. This is another long review, but it's partly to help myself remember details when I bring it up at a book club.
There were some powerful elements at play in Noor. I felt moved by the protagonist's rage and was grateful so much of the story centered on the impact of others on her disability--not just her parents, brother, and romantic partners, but also the systemic factors at play like the government and the corporation that made her prosthetics. The way strangers from different strata of society viewed her disability and her enhancements was very telling.
The way she grapples with her congenital disability and internalized ableism reminded me a lot of my own struggles with the same. I was born with a fragile skeleton. A mess, too.
I'd always had it coming. In the dark this was all clear. I emerged from the warm protective darkness of my mother's womb poorly made. A mess. And then years later, fate had unmade me. How dare I embrace what I was and wasn't, and build myself?
Sometimes the language around injury, surgery, brokenness, and body horror got to be too much for me and my C-PTSD. I had to rest several times and asked for help from my partner to co-regulate my nervous system before I could continue. But I felt it was worthwhile, for lines like this:
Sometimes when something breaks, things come out of the cracks.
It felt like the concept of kintsugi, only instead of using gold to repair ceramic, this felt more like repairing a body with fury and power, in response to injustice. It tied in with a theme of just wanting to be left alone to repair and rebuild and live your life.
I think my favorite parts were related to the way she embraced her own identity and strengths and gravitated toward others who saw her worth as a human being. My favorite scene was a tiny detail but it rang especially true for me. (Very mild spoilers for one small moment.)
Let me explain. People who are not yet disabled or who haven't dealt with chronic pain seem to see body-based mindfulness as some kind of panacea, but going inward and scanning your body is a terrifying experience when your body is a war zone. Rather than telling the person struggling that they're doing it wrong, that there's something broken with them and they won't be able to find inner peace, I love how this scene skipped right to the solution of turning outward for mindfulness in other ways. I wish more people knew that was an option. In 2019 it took me months of shame and depression to figure out why my repeated attempts at mindfulness and body scan meditations seemed to make everything worse. I only figured it out because I finally tried my luck on a therapist.
Anyway. Seeing this phenomenon depicted so easily and clearly felt absolutely wonderful and affirming.
The book felt a little uneven at times with choices I didn't understand, both by the characters and the author, but then again I am not Nigerian or Nigerian American. Just because I don't fully understand it, doesn't mean it's not an understandable choice.
I'm very glad this book exists, and very glad to have read it.
Graphic: Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Body shaming, Drug use, Medical trauma, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, Body horror, Ableism, Violence, Animal cruelty, Suicidal thoughts, Colonisation, Sexism, Classism, Blood, Chronic illness, Medical content, Abandonment, Grief, Misogyny, Gun violence, Murder, Hate crime, Self harm, Dysphoria, Gore, and Bullying
Moderate: Deadnaming, Emotional abuse, Genocide, War, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Car accident, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Child death, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
doesntread's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
AO is a disabled character who feels real. I am thankful that the author is speaking from experience here because it really really adds to the richness of AO as a narrator. Technology is not a cure that erases all disability in the future, but something that has pros and cons. Taking a psych med might help you but might have side effects too. AO speaks similarly at the beginning of the book about her high-tech sci-fi treatments. If you are disabled and/or chronically ill oh my god please please at least check out the first chapter of this book, it will feed your soul.
Plot-wise, this book is fast paced and stays pretty tense throughout, though there are times of rest for our heroes as they find shelter for a bit while on the run. This is a very hopeful book, but it is the kind of hope that is generated through very very bleak moments, making it even stronger. I really adore this book.
Graphic: Ableism, Hate crime, and Chronic illness
Moderate: Xenophobia and Animal death
The book holds your hand through it as you gradually get more information of the hate crime that triggers the events of the book. There is not a sexual violence component. If an ableist hate crime with some misogynistic and racial components is a trigger, proceed with caution, but know you are in good hands with the author and it is never trauma porn or left unresolved. Chronic illness:vegabela's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Death, Blood, Animal death, Ableism, Violence, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Chronic illness, Car accident, Grief, Murder, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Child death, Colonisation, Car accident, and Hate crime
tinyflame4's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Graphic: Ableism, Hate crime, Sexism, Chronic illness, and Racism
Moderate: Medical trauma, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, and Colonisation
Minor: Genocide, Abortion, Car accident, Classism, Death, Animal death, and Misogyny
zombiezami's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Hate crime, Medical trauma, Mass/school shootings, Ableism, Violence, Death, Chronic illness, Blood, Sexism, Misogyny, Gun violence, Colonisation, Body horror, Religious bigotry, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Genocide, Gore, and Abandonment
Moderate: Drug use, Alcohol, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual content
Minor: Child death, Car accident, and Toxic relationship
Eugenicsnolalee's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Murder, Chronic illness, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Animal death, Medical content, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, and Medical trauma
Minor: Body horror and Blood
albernikolauras's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Out of the 3 works I have read by Nnedi Okorafor, this is my favorite. The world was captivating and the all-seeing, all-controlling company and the way power was generated in this book brought forth a lot of themes on capitalism, whose land can you take to provide power for the masses, personhood, the value of life, and your privacy (or lack of it) within the tech you own. The characters were very interesting to follow - AO and DNA were such interesting characters to follow.
The issue for me came from Okorafor's writing. I can say for a fact I probably won't try any of her longer form fiction because it takes me so long to decipher her sentences and leaves me a little disconnected from the story. I am not deadset against her shorter fiction though, because her ideas are always fascinating.
Moderate: Violence, Chronic illness, Animal death, Ableism, and Car accident
casitafeliz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Ableism, Abandonment, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Blood, Body shaming, Bullying, Car accident, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Colonisation, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Murder, and Hate crime