For a lot of the time I was reading this book I felt like it was definitely a five star review, but then the last 30% or so really dragged for me and it slipped to a four.
There was a lot I really loved - Zelu is interesting and awful and engaging and fierce, and she made me feel all sorts of feels. I loved the first half of the book, the mad family dynamics, and watching her navigate her fame and fortune.
Learning more about Nigerian families was fascinating.
I loved the robots, and the snippets you get of Zelu's book (well...!) as you read Zelu's own story.
I liked her relationship with her partner, and the way he supports her.
What I felt worked less well were the interviews sprinkled throughout the book with family members & friends - it made me feel like something awful had happened to Zelu, and so I felt had to be ready at any moment for her to die. And afterwards, although they gave another insight into Zelu's character, I wasn't sure that they had needed to be there.
In the end, I think maybe there was just too much - a tighter edit would have given everything more impact. As it was, reading the ending, I was thinking 'wait....WHAT?' feeling cross with myself that I hadn't spotted it coming!
I have found it interesting seeing other reviews complaining it is too much literary fiction, not enough sci fi, or too much robots and not enough literary fiction! I just enjoyed it for what it was - I read widely anyway, and enjoy both genres. I think it is sci-fi, but accessible to other readers in a way that some sci-fi really isn't. It is family drama, but also more than that too. It feels like a book that will stay with me, and I'm really glad I read it.
Title: Death of the author
Author: Nnedi Okorafor
ISBN: 9781399622950
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