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A review by jaylajohnson
Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor
4.0
I really enjoyed the uniqueness of the story and can’t believe this is my first time hearing of the author. Zelu was written so well and realistic; she was flawed and rash and prideful but also had a strong sense of self and love for her culture, and I was captivated by her character and her messy relationship with her family and Nigeria/America as a Nigerian American. The cultural lens was easily the best part of the book for me, like Zelu having to navigate judgements from Nigerian relatives and strangers, when in Nigeria, who openly and unashamedly tell her she’s cursed or of lesser intelligence due to her being paraplegic and in a wheelchair. How her disability has made her feel invisible, even among her own siblings and parents. And after reading up on the author a bit more, I didn’t realize how closely Okorafor drew inspiration from her own experiences.
Initially, I wasn’t super drawn to the Rusted Robots chapters until I realized the parallel between the two stories. And after knowing the ending (and without giving any spoilers away), the interconnectedness makes a lot of sense (and made the story so meta!!). The biggest things that kept this at 4 stars for me was how random some of the story felt. Like the gun range, spaceship, and very convenient DNA augmentation were all crammed in the last 70 pages (Zelu really did everything except write her second novel LOL) that didn’t have enough time to add to the story. I wanted more on what it was like for her to be thrust into stardom so quickly and, as a now famous disabled person, what expectations did her fans place on her to represent the disabled community and what do they feel she “owes” them? There was a very brief bit on Zelu’s use of technology to aid herself and if that could be seen as “rejecting” her disability that I wish Okorafor dug into more. Ultimately, I wish this went deeper, but still recommend.
Initially, I wasn’t super drawn to the Rusted Robots chapters until I realized the parallel between the two stories. And after knowing the ending (and without giving any spoilers away), the interconnectedness makes a lot of sense (and made the story so meta!!). The biggest things that kept this at 4 stars for me was how random some of the story felt. Like the gun range, spaceship, and very convenient DNA augmentation were all crammed in the last 70 pages (Zelu really did everything except write her second novel LOL) that didn’t have enough time to add to the story. I wanted more on what it was like for her to be thrust into stardom so quickly and, as a now famous disabled person, what expectations did her fans place on her to represent the disabled community and what do they feel she “owes” them? There was a very brief bit on Zelu’s use of technology to aid herself and if that could be seen as “rejecting” her disability that I wish Okorafor dug into more. Ultimately, I wish this went deeper, but still recommend.