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A review by zoekatereads
Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Thank you Gollancz for the arc!
Death of the Author follows Zelu, a disabled, high-achieving woman from a family with the highest expectations (and a fair few opinions), as she takes a risk that will define her life.
Book within a book, interviews with family/friends, complex family dynamics
I'll start by saying that I worry this book will suffer being marketed as sci-fi. While there are sci-fi elements through the 'book in a book' within the story (which was great), the majority of the novel is more literary fiction with maybe a hint of speculative. I didn't mind this, but if you go into this expecting full-blown sci-fi I would be concerned readers will be left disappointed.
Overall I quite enjoyed this! Zelu makes for a really interesting main character - she's complex and not always completely likeable, but I appreciated so much of her journey through the book.
I really enjoyed the 'book in a book' - this made for a really great reflection of Zelu's life experiences, and it was woven in beautifully.
I got a little lost in the middle, and found myself growing frustrated with Zelu (and everyone in the book, honestly). I found my way back and did have a good time, although the ending left me feeling a little empty - there were still some questions left unanswered for me.
This was an extremely human book, which juxtaposed nicely with the content of Zelu's book, as well as with choices she made throughout the story (no spoilers here!).
I'd definitely recommend this to those who enjoy lit fic and a splash of sci-fi, but I'd definitely manage expectations when recommending this to sci-fi readers.
Death of the Author follows Zelu, a disabled, high-achieving woman from a family with the highest expectations (and a fair few opinions), as she takes a risk that will define her life.
Book within a book, interviews with family/friends, complex family dynamics
I'll start by saying that I worry this book will suffer being marketed as sci-fi. While there are sci-fi elements through the 'book in a book' within the story (which was great), the majority of the novel is more literary fiction with maybe a hint of speculative. I didn't mind this, but if you go into this expecting full-blown sci-fi I would be concerned readers will be left disappointed.
Overall I quite enjoyed this! Zelu makes for a really interesting main character - she's complex and not always completely likeable, but I appreciated so much of her journey through the book.
I really enjoyed the 'book in a book' - this made for a really great reflection of Zelu's life experiences, and it was woven in beautifully.
I got a little lost in the middle, and found myself growing frustrated with Zelu (and everyone in the book, honestly). I found my way back and did have a good time, although the ending left me feeling a little empty - there were still some questions left unanswered for me.
This was an extremely human book, which juxtaposed nicely with the content of Zelu's book, as well as with choices she made throughout the story (no spoilers here!).
I'd definitely recommend this to those who enjoy lit fic and a splash of sci-fi, but I'd definitely manage expectations when recommending this to sci-fi readers.