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A review by marthmuffins
Binti by Nnedi Okorafor
3.0
Binti & Binti: Sacred Fire - 3.5/5
I like a lot of what this novella is doing, especially around culture and hair, and a lot of the negative reviews seem to misunderstand what the book is going for and focus instead on the plot. I do think there are a number of serious flaws here in terms of how plot and character are handled, but I'll get to those.
Much of the story revolves around the importance on Binti's connection to being Himba (an ethnic group in Northern Namibia), her hair, her use of otjize (which is a paste that the Himba use on their hair and body), and how these factors connect her both to her heritage when she's so far from home and also how it others her from other humans, are key topics for the book. Overall, I think the story handles that very well. I don't know how accurate the representation of the Himba is here as I don't know anything about them in reality, but the book does effectively speak to Binti's feelings of leaving home and the conflict between her connection to her family and her desire to break free from the constraints place on her by that, tackling that internal struggle well. It also handles how she is othered by other humans: her hair is touched without her consent, people comment about her skin colour, and are fascinated/disgusted by the look and smell of the otjize she uses. She's an object for everyone else to poke and prod, a thing as alien to the other humans she encounters as the jellyfish beings and crab people they've met out in space.
And all of this links in with how the alien threat, the Meduse, are handled. They're explicitly viewed as inferior by the Koush, the humans who aren't Himba, and othered in similar ways to Binti, not just by the Koush but by many other species. Over the course of the story we learn that. These aspects integrate with Binti's experiences and the book really works on those thematic levels.
And this all coalesces around Binti's hair. It, and the otjize she applies to it and the rest of her body, is mentioned constantly, and it's integral to who she is and what connects her back to home. Hair is such an important cultural signifier across the world and it's use in expression has often been a key target of cultural supression, which is really reflected in the way Binti's hair and the Meduse's tentacles are treated here The ending has her.
Sacred Fire follows on from this as basically an extended epilogue to the first novella, and I don't think this story would really work for me without it. It properly deals with the consequences of what happens to Binti, both phyiscially and emotionally, throughout the first novella, and carries on the thematic arc to a form of conclusion that the first novella alone doesn't manage. I honestly couldn't imagine reading the first novella without this epilogue story, given how important dwelling on that emotional throughline is to making the themes, and character, work. Here Binti starts to deal with. It genuinely adds a really good capstone to the original story and I think elevates it a lot, making it work a lot better than it did initially for me.
Because I did have some serious issues with Binti. Frankly, Binti as a character is not all that interesting. Thematically she serves her purpose but so much is spent on that angle that Binti as a person is left pretty underdeveloped and dry, and so are the rest of the characters in this story. I get the sense that we're meant to see a. The characters just feel secondary to the theming, which would usually be fine but the theming relies on very personal connections and nuances to do with culture and a person's place in it, which does not come across when Binti has such a flat personality.
This is also an issue with the plot. It all becomes very contrived and neat, being to concerned with tying up thematic ends instead of making logical sense. Suddenly? It makes sense thematically as but as an actual plot and character beat it feels very strange and contrived. I also dislike how .
Other issues I had, such as, are resolved in Sacred Fire, and I honestly recommend treating these two stories as essentially one book. It brings resolution to the first novella whilst also bulking out the page count to the same level as the sequel novellas.
Overall, a mixed but interesting reading experience for me. I think it's worth checking out, but be aware of it's focus on theme over character and plot, flat characters, and plot contrivences.
I like a lot of what this novella is doing, especially around culture and hair, and a lot of the negative reviews seem to misunderstand what the book is going for and focus instead on the plot. I do think there are a number of serious flaws here in terms of how plot and character are handled, but I'll get to those.
Much of the story revolves around the importance on Binti's connection to being Himba (an ethnic group in Northern Namibia), her hair, her use of otjize (which is a paste that the Himba use on their hair and body), and how these factors connect her both to her heritage when she's so far from home and also how it others her from other humans, are key topics for the book. Overall, I think the story handles that very well. I don't know how accurate the representation of the Himba is here as I don't know anything about them in reality, but the book does effectively speak to Binti's feelings of leaving home and the conflict between her connection to her family and her desire to break free from the constraints place on her by that, tackling that internal struggle well. It also handles how she is othered by other humans: her hair is touched without her consent, people comment about her skin colour, and are fascinated/disgusted by the look and smell of the otjize she uses. She's an object for everyone else to poke and prod, a thing as alien to the other humans she encounters as the jellyfish beings and crab people they've met out in space.
And all of this links in with how the alien threat, the Meduse, are handled. They're explicitly viewed as inferior by the Koush, the humans who aren't Himba, and othered in similar ways to Binti, not just by the Koush but by many other species. Over the course of the story we learn that
Spoiler
the Meduse's leader had a fundemental part of it's identity removed, it's stinger, to be examined and put on display at the university Binti is going too. Understandably it wants to reclaim that part of it's identity, and as a commentary on colonialist/imperialist treatment of others it works really wellAnd this all coalesces around Binti's hair. It, and the otjize she applies to it and the rest of her body, is mentioned constantly, and it's integral to who she is and what connects her back to home. Hair is such an important cultural signifier across the world and it's use in expression has often been a key target of cultural supression, which is really reflected in the way Binti's hair and the Meduse's tentacles are treated here The ending has her
Spoiler
lose her hair, replacing it with alien Meduse tentacles, tying her closer to this new world and furtherly isolating her from home, which really reinforces Binti's otherness to everyone around herSacred Fire follows on from this as basically an extended epilogue to the first novella, and I don't think this story would really work for me without it. It properly deals with the consequences of what happens to Binti, both phyiscially and emotionally, throughout the first novella, and carries on the thematic arc to a form of conclusion that the first novella alone doesn't manage. I honestly couldn't imagine reading the first novella without this epilogue story, given how important dwelling on that emotional throughline is to making the themes, and character, work. Here Binti starts to deal with
Spoiler
seeing all the people she met on the ship die and being phyiscally changed by OkwuBecause I did have some serious issues with Binti. Frankly, Binti as a character is not all that interesting. Thematically she serves her purpose but so much is spent on that angle that Binti as a person is left pretty underdeveloped and dry, and so are the rest of the characters in this story. I get the sense that we're meant to see a
Spoiler
developing friendship between the initially hostile Okwu and Binti but it does not come across to me at all, with them suddenly coming to an understanding by the end of the story and forced together in Sacred Fire as the two ultimate outsiders at Oozma UniversityThis is also an issue with the plot. It all becomes very contrived and neat, being to concerned with tying up thematic ends instead of making logical sense. Suddenly
Spoiler
the otjize can heal the Meduse's wounds and they all become friendsSpoiler
a way to signify the power of these cultural connectionsSpoiler
the university which stole the Meduse's leads stinger just kind of gives it up at the end and kind of doesn't take responsibility for it's own culpability in the Meduse's anger. Sure, they fire the people who took it but still, it feels a little like a cop out to not have some acknowledgement of the university's role in exoticing the Meduse. I assume bringing Okwu in as a student is an attempt at this by trying to create an actual dialogue between the Meduse and the rest of the galaxy but it's never really established as such, or followed up on in Sacred FireOther issues I had, such as
Spoiler
the lack of resolution to Binti's emotional and phyisical traumaOverall, a mixed but interesting reading experience for me. I think it's worth checking out, but be aware of it's focus on theme over character and plot, flat characters, and plot contrivences.