2012 Book 139: Who
Fears Death
written by Nnedi Okorafor, narrated by Anne Flosnik
Reason for Reading:
This is my fourth
book for The Diverse Universe blog tour, in which we are reading speculative
fiction books written by authors-of-color. Who Fears Death was a Nebula nominee
in 2010 and won the World Fantasy Award in 2011.
This book takes place in a post-apocalyptic Sudan, which is
peopled by two races--the dominant Nurus and their "slaves" the
Okekes. Onyesonwu Ubaig-Ogundiwu (whose name means "Who Fears
Death?") is a the daughter of an Okeke woman who was raped and brutalized
by a Nuru sorcerer and his genocidal army. Onyesonwu was considered
"Ewu," a mixed-race child who brings bad luck and violence wherever
she goes. Despite Onyesonwu's mother's lucky marriage to a kind man, the girl
spent most of her younger years feeling insecure and angry at the world.
However, as Onyesonwu grew, she inherited the powers of a sorcerer...angry
powers that she couldn't control without the help of a teacher. This story is
the coming-of-age of a young sorcerer destined to wreak vengeance on a violent
father.
I am having a really difficult time deciding what rating to
give this book. Okorafor's writing was powerful (as was the reading by
Flosnik). The story was compelling, though a few sections dragged for me--these
parts could have been cut out to make a shorter book with no loss to the story.
The genocidal violence and rape were described in disturbing detail, though
these details were tactful and necessary. Okorafor used a post-apocalyptic
setting to write a powerful story about issues (like genocide, female
circumcision, and oppressive sexism) that are current problems in parts of
Africa today. In fact, the most powerful part of the story (the consequences of
human brutality) were disturbingly realistic and representative of the world
many of us Westerners choose to ignore today. But, as disturbing as this book's
content was, there was also a ray of hope and optimism. And behind all of this
darkness and light, there is the story of a girl who wants nothing more to love
her man, her friends, and her mother despite all odds. (Well, ok, she also
wants revenge...)
About the Author:
Nnedi Okorafor is the American-born daughter of Igbo
Nigerian parents. She holds a PhD in English from the University of Illinois,
Chicago. She is a professor of creative writing at Chicago State University.
She has written several YA fantasy novels. Who Fears Death is her first book
for adults.
I definitely couldn't do the audiobook of this one. For some reason, I find rape extra disturbing when it's audio.
ReplyDeleteHonestly...the disturbing details are what kept me reading. The rest was slow and confusing.
ReplyDeleteLiviania: I know how you feel. It bothers me a little more on audio, and I simply can't watch it in movies.
ReplyDeleteAmber: You're probably right. The book was so powerful because of the emotions involved in the various forms of abuse. That's why I had so much trouble deciding what rating to give it. I decided to err on the side of generosity.
This was one of my favorite reads last year and one that I still consider an all time favorite. Really powerful. Glad to see you enjoyed it. Like Liviania said above though, eecks, I don't think I could have handled it on audio.
ReplyDeleteAmy: I'm glad you enjoyed it too! I may not have listened to it on audio if I'd known it was that "bad." Though those scenes didn't bother me as much in this reading as the disturbing scenes in Kafka on the Shore bothered me in audiobook format. The reader of this book did an amazing job.
ReplyDelete