Book Review Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor 5/5 stars

 I'm a big fan of Nnedi Okorafor's writing  and when I saw Death of the Author up at Net Galley, I immediately requested to read it.  I was not disappointed! 

      Initially, judging from the cover, I was expecting a some sort of magical tale older than time, but this is not really that book, or maybe it is, just not in a sense of a fairy tale or legend

   The plot - without too many spoilers:  Zelu, our main character is a disabled Nigerian-American writer who after a series of hard knocks, writes a novel that become wildly successful.  This success, of course drastically changes her relationships and threatens to change her life forever. This is told basically as a story within a story and it is an amazing look at the publishing process, family life, and Chicago. Some have wondered if this work is a bit auto-biographical, but I'd argue that most novels of this sort are a bit auto-biographical and it probably isn't good to attach that label to a work by an author, unless the author herself attached the label. 

So... does all of this change lead to a forever life change?  A rendering with family and friends? Well... you'll need to read to find out.  Along the way you'll be thinking about AI,  robots, Nollywood, and a host of things that will likely tickle your brain in that spot that just wants new, new, new ideas!

Death of the Author is quite a provocative title as Okorafor has noted that she doesn't ascribe to the Death of the Author theory put forth in Roland Barthes essay from 1967 which argues persuasively (but for me not very successfully) that the meaning of a written work shouldn't be determined by the author's intent but rather by the reader, or the reader's experience of the work. 

  I fully believe that the author's intent, and the reader's experience fully shape a work or writing, how could one really try to separate the two?  Don't you agree? 

  Who should pick up this book?  Students of literature, for certain. Readers of Speculative fiction and Science fiction as well.  People looking to diversify their reading list- sure! 

This is probably not a book for someone looking to read a simple story with one general plot line. 

I am so grateful to Net Galley and William Morrow for the chance to read and review this fantastic novel. 

 Are you also a fan of Okorafor?  What's your favorite? Will this book be making it's way to your TBR?  Let me know in the comments! 

STATS

First Published 2025

Pages: 448

Available as an Audio Book : YES

Trigger Warnings:  sexism, culture erasure (whitewashing), abelism, attempted genocide,Gore, Death, suicidal thoughts 

(this is not a full list, read responsibly)