University City Public Library Book Challenge: Remote Control

Press release from University City Public Library Book Challenge:

November 10, 2021

Remote Control by Nnedi Okorafor, 160 pages.

Sankofa wanders a near future rural Ghana with the power of death her only companion (aside from a little fox). Ever since she lost her name at seven years old she glows green both when threatened and at will, and the green glow has the power to kill any living thing it touches. Now, seven years later, she has become a mythic figure, the alleged goddaughter of death, who wander the country on foot and survives on fearfully provided hospitality wherever she stops, pursuing a mission that only she knows.

I really enjoyed this book, although it wasn't quite what I was expecting. The blurb sounded more like folklore than science fiction, so I admit I went into this expecting a more literal personification of death. Which is interesting because a lot of the themes in this novella are exactly that, an examination of the power of the stories told about Sankofa, and all of the ways they are simultaneously true and untrue. Reading about her travels was simultaneously fascinating and heartbreaking, especially since Okorafor doesn't hesitate to remind us that Sankofa is, ultimately, a deeply traumatized child. I will say that it lost me a little in the events of the last chapter or so, but at 160 pages its definitely well worth the read.

This press release was produced by University City Public Library Book Challenge. The views expressed here are the author’s own.