Review of Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor

Death of the Author explores the connection of an author to her work--and how a story can take on a life of its own--in this novel featuring a science fiction tale within Okorafor's main story, which is that of a writer shaping her own identity and future by facing challenges and mind-blowing opportunities.

Adjunct professor Zelu has just told off a foolish, privileged, antagonistic student (and then told off her boss), so now she's not only disabled and overwhelmed by her overly controlling and opinionated family as she has been for many years--she's also unemployed.

At rock bottom, she allows her subconscious to develop a rich imagined world and story that are completely unlike her stilted literary attempts of the past. The book Rusted Robots takes off like a rocket in popularity, changing almost everything in her life. (The speed with which Zelu's book is fought over, paid for, published, successful, and various rights are sold all feels like a happy dream-state fantasy that prospective authors might especially enjoy.)

The story meanders as Zelu struggles to determine what to do with her success and to understand what she's all about. Significant page time is spent on her worrying about how to manage situations and what to do next (often with her family's meddlesome negativity creeping in). After the feverish writing of her successful science fiction story, she is unable to write a sequel. She cements her identity and significant abilities piece by piece when she embraces challenging opportunities (augmenting her ability to be mobile with futuristic walking aids; diving into her relationship and commitment; saying yes to a trip into space) and as she copes with danger and disappointment (a violent attack when she visits Nigeria; the white bastardization of her Rusted Robots story).

Zelu's ties to her parents' home country of Nigeria remain constant, as does her desire for adventure, her unwillingness to compromise, and her disinterest in doing the expected.

Zelu's family aims to tear down her confidence as well as repeatedly blame her for her childhood accident that left her in a wheelchair, express negativity around her daring to dream, remain obsessed with their own needs for approval and for keeping up appearances above considering Zelu's well-being, and, occasionally, bestow tiny gifts of grudging positivity, but only after Zelu's various avenues of blockbuster success (bestseller novel, million-dollar advance, movie made, trip to space!) are undeniable. The family's collective assumption that they may, unsolicited, rightfully weigh in on Zelu's every decision was jarring and infuriating.

The shifted points of view (early on and periodically, a sister shares Zelu's tale) and the various moments of foreshadowing took me out of the story's immediacy.

This is literary fiction with portions of science fiction, and I adored the portions of Rusted Robots that are interspersed throughout. The excerpts highlighted commonalities between the imaginary world that poured out of her and Zelu's real life, and they presented fascinating questions. How much does physical form affect a sense of self, others' assumptions, and one's own abilities? Can lifelong prejudices be overcome? Can vulnerability and loyalty overcome deadly dangers and destruction?

More from Nnedi Okorafor

Okorafor is also the author of the Binti trilogy, Akata Witch, Noor, Remote Control, and other works.