Binti: The Complete Trilogy

It's probably more of a 3.5.

I've obviously known about this novella for a long time because it's won so many awards and accolades. But it's also set in space and sci-fi isn't my thing, so I never planned on reading it. But our Stars and Sorcery book club decided to pick it up as our last BOTM of the year and I was finally intrigued enough to give it a try. And I'm glad I did.

First thing I have to mention is that I didn't understand most of the scientific terminology used in the book, but that's ofcourse my shortcoming and should be easier to comprehend for seasoned sci-fi readers. But the overall writing and the themes were easier to grasp. It packs a lot of feeling in less than 100 pages and I could feel all of it. It's also understandably very fast paced and kept me on my toes, especially the middle portion of the story. We only get to know Binti and a couple of other characters but what I saw of them, they were fascinating and complicated. I love the found family aspect of it and hope it gets more fleshed out in the later novellas.

It's evident from the beginning itself that the underlying theme is about prejudice - how we “other” people just because we don't understand them or they look different from us. Binti understands this well and even in an environment where she is gawked at or called out, she holds her head high. She is intelligent and ambitious and wants more for herself than what her traditions allow, allowing her to change parts of herself, but she never lets go of her traditions. This story also dips a little into commentary about colonial exploitation but never goes deep into it.

Overall, this is an interesting story featuring a fierce and smart young Black woman and I loved getting to know her. While the world building isn't too extensive, it's written just well enough for us to truly feel it's message of empathy and acceptance.