Who Fears Death

I almost loved this novel. I was fully here for the post-apocalyptic Africa setting, and the burgeoning feminist-ism of the main characters, and the hits against racism and misogyny. I love a good coming-of-age quest novel, and some meaty dystopia always makes me want to read more.

It just felt like something - something - was missing. I never quite felt like I understood or tracked with some of the key relationships in the novel. I wanted more development of some of the secondary characters, that seemed to play a major part in Onye's journey. And the ending felt....well, it seemed a bit too neat and tidy that a quest that took 375 pages and the deaths of several main characters could be resolved in one chapter.

This novel had the spark of something great, but for me it never quite arrived. I love the author's ideas, however, and will definitely be reading more of her work.

““Onyesonwu,” Najeeba said again. It was right. She wanted to shout the question to the sky: “Who fears death?” But alas, Najeeba had no voice and could only whisper it. One day, Onyesonwu will speak her name correctly, she thought.”

Onyesonwu on Ewu, raiskauksesta ja väkivallasta syntynyt lapsi. Hänen äitinsä on alistettu Okeke, isä taas kuuluu Okekeja armotta murhaaviin Nuruihin. Nurut ovat vaaleita, Okeket tummia, Ewut erottuvat molemmista ja ovat automaattisesti vihattuja hylkiöitä. Onyesonwu ei ole kuitenkaan mikä tahansa tyttölapsi. Kirja alkaa hautajaisista: Onyen isä on kuollut. Isän kuoleman herättämä tunnemyrsky saa aikaan yllättäviä seuraamuksia, kun Onye yrittää vahingossa herättää isänsä takaisin henkiin. Isä ei herää, hengittää vain hetken, mutta se riittää kauhistuttamaan muut kylän asukkaat.

Onye on luonnonlahjakkuus taikuudessa ja siitä syystä entistä vihattavampi ja pelättävämpi. Naiselle ei voi tietenkään opettaa taikuutta, varsinkaan epävakaalle, väkivaltaan taustansa vuoksi taipuvaiselle ja täysin arvaamattomalle Ewulle. Oppia Onye kuitenkin saa ja voimaa suorittaa kohtalon määräämä tehtävä – ja kostaa biologiselle isälleen.

Who Fears Death ei pelkää tarttua vakaviin kysymyksiin. Lukija joutuu kohtaamaan väkivaltaa, raiskauksia, naisten ympärileikkausta, orjuutta, kansanmurhan — tarina sijoittuu epämääräiseen tulevaisuuden post-apokalyptiseen Pohjois-Afrikkaan, mutta voisi osin olla nykypäivää Kongosta tai Sudanista. Julmuuksilla ei mässäillä, mutta herkimpiä kuvottaa varmasti.

Kirjassa on perinteisen eeppisen fantasiaseikkailun ainekset, tosin perinteisen fantasian kirjoittaja olisi luultavasti tehnyt tästä trilogian. Nyt Okorafor jättää Onyen oppivuodet oikeastaan kokonaan väliin ja hyppää suoraan asiaan. Peruskuvio on klassinen, mutta afrikkalaiset puitteet ovat omaperäiset ja kirjan maailma kaikessa julmuudessaan erittäin kiehtova.

Vaikuttava, hyvin kirjoitettu kirja jää mieleen kummittelemaan. Who Fears Death ei ole täysin mukava lukukokemus, mutta ravisteleva, vetävä ja kiinnostava kirja yhtä kaikki. En lainkaan ihmettele, että sille on satanut lukuisia palkintoehdokkuuksia ja World Fantasy Award -voitto. (14.2.2012)

High 4 stars, with bonus for novelty of gritty African fantastic fiction.

Shrug.

My rating for the first half of the novel is higher than the second half, particularly the end. I got a copy of the 10th anniversary edition, and it was interesting to read Okorafor's notes a decade later. The protagonist, Onyesonwu (whose name means “who fears death”), undergoes female genital mutilation (using the author's descriptive phrase here) as a preteen, and based on controversy around Okorafor's depiction of the practice, the novel was originally banned in Nigeria (Okorafor is Nigerian American). She doesn't regret her authorial choice, and I'm really glad it's in the book: it's a nuanced portrayal of the very complex cultural issues that surround any practice that is controversial to those outside a culture (and often, as the novel portrays and real life makes clear, to those within it!). Okay, I need to lay off the parentheticals. Anyway, I wish other equally interesting plot points had been treated with similar intricacy. The novel is essentially Onyesonwu's bildungsroman blended with a hero's journey, set in a futurist Sudan during a genocide in which rape is frequently used as a weapon of war, and I felt a little let down on both major themes. Onyesonwu's development and personal growth is beautifully traced in the first half, but flattens noticeably in the second half, and the issues related to genocide and the problem of evil, are similarly flattened into overemphasis on a singular villain as opposed to the social circumstances that give such people the opportunity to reach for and wield incredible destructive power. There is tremendous moral ambiguity in the final chapters, which I actually appreciate, but very little exploration of that ambiguity, especially Onyesonwu's penultimate actions, and I think that lets down a great character. Overall, though, I'm glad I read this, and am curious about what else Okorafor has written. I'm also glad that this was optioned by HBO, because although it would be tempting to get sucked into the magical elements of the plot, I think a great actress could take what's there and run with it in a way that would add depth to Onyesonwu's later choices that would adjust for the weaknesses at the end.

I've only ever read Okorafor's short fiction, so this was a great experience. I don't think I've ever read a book that explored feminism in an East African society, let alone a post-apocalyptic East African society. The nuanced take on women in these cultures is smart, refreshing, and well-worth the read. At times, I felt the pacing was a bit quick for me (maybe I'm just super into her short fiction and wanted something slower-paced), but it was an impressive story nonetheless. If you like a good mix of sci-fi and fantasy, complex and complicated characeters, and beautiful prose, give this one a try.

Short Review: I didn't like it quite as much as the 1st and 3rd Binti book, but it is worth reading


Full review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/who-fears-death/

I hope the TV adaptation lives up to the book. There's a lot going on here (war, rape, genocide, gender discrimination, FGM) that could be powerful, and in some cases, groundbreaking television.

I hope the TV adaptation lives up to the book. There's a lot going on here (war, rape, genocide, gender discrimination, FGM) that could be powerful, and in some cases, groundbreaking television.

A good book, that was well written. It however didn't click with me which is why it only got three stars.

Violent, powerful and beautiful. Some very difficult scenes, but so good.

Full review at: http://sffbookreview.wordpress.com/2012/04/20/nnedi-okorafor-who-fears-death/

A wonderful and unique book that totally took me by surprise and left me happy, sad and wanting more, all at the same time.