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A review by bookish_sabrina
Midnight Robber by Nalo Hopkinson
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I initially was very into this story of a Caribbean colony on another planet and how Caribbean culture had influenced this futuristic society. It is written in dialect, which was at first difficult but eventually is something that you sink in to, making the story all the more immersive. I was very impressed by the use of technology in this novel. It came out in 2000, but has technologies reminiscent of Bluetooth, Big Tech, machine learning, and self-driving cars.
I was disappointed to find the latter half of this novel is primarily a revenge story, and most of the plotlines converge on a shitty dude being shitty to everyone rather than the women who appear to be the protagonists of the story. Unfortunately, the imposing figure of this guy overshadows the characters that are meant to be the primary actors, muddying and diverting the plot to something I was significantly less interested in. I wish this novel had delved deeper into conversations of colonialism, as the human settlers took land originally occupied by an indigenous alien species. There are touches of that discussion, but I would have found that much more interesting territory to cover than a pretty bland revenge tale. But that's me reading this book 21 years after publication, and perhaps I would feel differently if I had read it in the political climate in which it was originally written.
An interesting read, but ultimately kind of disappointing.
I was disappointed to find the latter half of this novel is primarily a revenge story, and most of the plotlines converge on a shitty dude being shitty to everyone rather than the women who appear to be the protagonists of the story. Unfortunately, the imposing figure of this guy overshadows the characters that are meant to be the primary actors, muddying and diverting the plot to something I was significantly less interested in. I wish this novel had delved deeper into conversations of colonialism, as the human settlers took land originally occupied by an indigenous alien species. There are touches of that discussion, but I would have found that much more interesting territory to cover than a pretty bland revenge tale. But that's me reading this book 21 years after publication, and perhaps I would feel differently if I had read it in the political climate in which it was originally written.
An interesting read, but ultimately kind of disappointing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Incest, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Rape