Great Afrofuturism story about a girl who becomes known as “Death’s adopted daughter.”
Set in Ghana what feels like a few decades from now, this tells the story of a girl who encounters a strange “seed” beneath her family’s shea tree. This seed gives her mysterious powers: she can glow green, and by doing so she can kill. Sometimes it’s involuntary and sometimes … less voluntary, with tragic results.
The origin of the seed isn’t made clear. There are mentions of aliens, and a biotech company called LifeGen, and a few other hints, but none of that really matters to our protagonist (named Fatima, though later known as Sankofa). Not terribly surprisingly, she ends up ostracized and wandering; Death’s adopted daughter is someone to be feared and respected, but not someone you really want living next door. And, naturally, when you are afraid of someone, that can turn to anger and hatred. Again with tragic results.
The only other Okorafor book I’ve read is Who Fears Death, which I found powerful and moving. The same applies here, though not as deeply as a book about rape as a weapon of war. This is shorter, and less heavy. I feel like this would be a good jumping off point for someone who is interested in Okorafor’s writing but doesn’t want to dive into something like Who Fears Death. I’m curious to hear how it compares to Binti, which I haven’t read, but I’ll probably have to wait a few weeks to hear any opinions on that - this one comes out on January 21.
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