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nini23 's review for:
Who Fears Death
by Nnedi Okorafor
Trigger warning: rape, genocide and female genital mutilation content
Who Fears Death has been on my radar for awhile, especially with the news it's being adapted for the screen in conjunction with GRR Martin. I was quite absorbed in the first bit of the book. The rape scene, while extremely difficult to read, showcases womens' authentic reactions to the violent act. So many fantasy books especially of the grimdark subgenre include rape as a by-thought or part of the scenery ("gritty") or to propel the male protagonist's journey. Onyesonwu, meaning 'who fears death,' is a product of rape and bears the physical characteristics of the mixing of Nuru and Okeke tribes. This is a coming of age story and discovery of her magical powers.
Like others have noted, it's not readily obvious this is a post-apocalyptic novel. There are occasional unobtrusive mentions of electronic devices or modern inventions. The setting is somewhere in Africa and I like that the author showcased the complex issues surrounding female genital mutilation - that it brought shame to the families of girls who chose not to participate in it, that senior respected female leaders were involved in the ritual. Since this is fictional fantasy book, some liberties are mixed real life facts are taken such as a wizard putting 'juju' on the knife such that everytime the mutilated girls tried to have intercourse they would experience intense pain but later Onye manages not only to regrow her own clitories but those of others in her coterie.
I think I lost interest sometime when they had embarked on their trek into the desert. There were a lot of teen sexual shenanigans, giggling, cliques, social pressure, squabbling - all your average high school fluff. Disappointing because there had been some interesting mature issues raised like prejudice, genocide, misogyny.
Who Fears Death has been on my radar for awhile, especially with the news it's being adapted for the screen in conjunction with GRR Martin. I was quite absorbed in the first bit of the book. The rape scene, while extremely difficult to read, showcases womens' authentic reactions to the violent act. So many fantasy books especially of the grimdark subgenre include rape as a by-thought or part of the scenery ("gritty") or to propel the male protagonist's journey. Onyesonwu, meaning 'who fears death,' is a product of rape and bears the physical characteristics of the mixing of Nuru and Okeke tribes. This is a coming of age story and discovery of her magical powers.
Like others have noted, it's not readily obvious this is a post-apocalyptic novel. There are occasional unobtrusive mentions of electronic devices or modern inventions. The setting is somewhere in Africa and I like that the author showcased the complex issues surrounding female genital mutilation - that it brought shame to the families of girls who chose not to participate in it, that senior respected female leaders were involved in the ritual. Since this is fictional fantasy book, some liberties are mixed real life facts are taken such as a wizard putting 'juju' on the knife such that everytime the mutilated girls tried to have intercourse they would experience intense pain but later Onye manages not only to regrow her own clitories but those of others in her coterie.
I think I lost interest sometime when they had embarked on their trek into the desert. There were a lot of teen sexual shenanigans, giggling, cliques, social pressure, squabbling - all your average high school fluff. Disappointing because there had been some interesting mature issues raised like prejudice, genocide, misogyny.