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A review by tamunra
Riot Baby by Tochi Onyebuchi
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I received a copy of this for free from Tor.com a while ago. It takes place in present day, and deals with race relations, and so I didn't expect a happy read, which is good, because I didn't get a happy read. I generally don't read urban fantasy, because it's too close to life, so I put off reading it for a while.
I'm a middle-class white woman. Reading this made me uncomfortable, which arguably it should, and was intended to do. I was upset on Kev's behalf, despaired when he made a wrong decision which would direct the course of his life.
The 3 months I've waited to review this short book haven't helped me settle it in my mind. It still disturbs me, the injustice of our real world, in which Kev and Ella live, and the injustice of the future one. The future "dystopia," which really isn't the future, and really isn't that different from our world.
And that's a point, isn't it? When we read fantasy, we cheer for the protagonists when they come into their power and go to burn the world down. But it's different when it's the world that I, the reader, inhabit. I cheer for them, but I also worry about myself. What a selfish, privileged position to be able to hold.
The way the POV jumps is jarring, and it's hard to tell what's going on sometimes. It's a struggle for anyone who wants a linear narrative, but then again, that jarring jump is sometimes how it feels when we're tired, sick, exhausted. While I'm not generally a fan of that style, it fits here.
I was surprised when the book ended. It felt unfinished. Again, maybe that's the point - to come into your own power, and not necessarily what the end result is. To tie everything up would be to end that discordance, that discomfort that readers like me have built up after reading it. Comfort doesn't lead to change, but discomfort might.
I'm a middle-class white woman. Reading this made me uncomfortable, which arguably it should, and was intended to do. I was upset on Kev's behalf, despaired when he made a wrong decision which would direct the course of his life.
The 3 months I've waited to review this short book haven't helped me settle it in my mind. It still disturbs me, the injustice of our real world, in which Kev and Ella live, and the injustice of the future one. The future "dystopia," which really isn't the future, and really isn't that different from our world.
And that's a point, isn't it? When we read fantasy, we cheer for the protagonists when they come into their power and go to burn the world down. But it's different when it's the world that I, the reader, inhabit. I cheer for them, but I also worry about myself. What a selfish, privileged position to be able to hold.
The way the POV jumps is jarring, and it's hard to tell what's going on sometimes. It's a struggle for anyone who wants a linear narrative, but then again, that jarring jump is sometimes how it feels when we're tired, sick, exhausted. While I'm not generally a fan of that style, it fits here.
I was surprised when the book ended. It felt unfinished. Again, maybe that's the point - to come into your own power, and not necessarily what the end result is. To tie everything up would be to end that discordance, that discomfort that readers like me have built up after reading it. Comfort doesn't lead to change, but discomfort might.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Violence