Matt’s Reviews: Remote Control By Nnedi Okorafor

• • • • Author :  Nnedi Okorafor
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ TORDOTCOM (01/19/2021)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 160 pages
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 9781250772800

Remote Control By Nnedi Okorafor is a beautiful little book.  In the not too distant future, a young girl in Ghana finds what seems to be an alien artifact and is transformed into Death’s adopted daughter.  When it is taken from her, she is cursed to wander in search of the artifact and deals with people both friendly and unfriendly along the way.  Okorafor has a very unique voice.  She combines science fiction, and fantastical aspects with what seems like traditional folk tales and blends them into something completely new.

It is very difficult to describe this book.  A young girl, a witch, death’s adopted daughter, a wanderer in search of something.  The book reads almost like an African folk tale, but from the point of view of Sankofa in an Africa with cell phones and traffic control robots and science and superstition.  She is a bringer of death, but not for most and not most of the time, but should you want relief from suffering or if you try to attack her, it could be yours.

I REALLY like this book.  It is a science fiction story.  It is folk tale.  It is a coming of age story.  It is a tale of loss and longing and searching, and maybe finding.  It is different from any other book I can ever recall reading.  It is rare to find such an original story.  It is even more rare when it is a great story.  This one is both.