Thank you to William Morrow for sending me a copy of Death of the Author in exchange for an honest review.
About Death of the Author
When Zelu loses her university job and her manuscript is rejected, all during her sister’s wedding, her world is turned upside down. Disabled and under pressure from her high-achieving family, she takes a bold step at her lowest point. She writes a sci-fi novel about androids and AI after humanity’s extinction — completely unlike her past work.
The decision sparks a journey of transformation, fame and unexpected connections. As Zelu rockets to fame, the boundaries between her fictional world and reality begin to dissolve. Fame comes with dire consequences, and Zelu soon discovers that her story could change not just her life but the world itself.
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A Deliciously Complicated Lead
It’s impossible to put a book like Death of the Author into a box. Nnedi Okorafor combines her expected science fiction style with a work of literary fiction in a way that’s unique and surprising, defying genre expectations. This is two stories in one: Zelu’s story of fame and its consequences, and the novel she writes, Rusted Roots. Both sides of Death of the Author contain Okorafor’s signature Africanfuturism elements. She combines the narratives in an effortless way other authors simply couldn’t achieve.
The main draw in Death of the Author is Zelu herself. She’s a deliciously complicated character, smart, strong-willed and sensitive. She’s also selfish, making decisions that will have readers horrified. Still, it’s easy to understand her actions. Her entire life has been fighting against other people’s expectations of her, whether because she’s a woman, disabled or Nigerian American. Like the actual book Death of the Author, Zelu is a character who refuses to be put into a box.
On a related note, Okorafor just writes family drama so well. Zelu’s parents and siblings love her, but they don’t understand her, and everything they do speaks to what they think is best for her. You’ll feel like you’re right in the room during their many heated arguments. Zelu’s family history and drama make her irrational actions a little more understandable.
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Meaningful Meditations
Lastly, I want to tell readers to ignore some of the publisher’s marketing choices. While Death of the Author contains excerpts from Zelu’s sci-fi epic Rusted Roots, the book as a whole isn’t really a work of science fiction. It’s largely lit-fic with some near-future elements. As a result, the story as a whole could work without the passages from Rusted Roots.
I also think you need to set aside the comparisons to R.F. Kuang’s Yellowface. Both books are great looks at the publishing industry and its pitfalls, particularly the way it monetizes minority authors while altering their messages. And yes, both are metafictional, drawing on the authors’ real lives. But Yellowface is a satirical, tongue-in-cheek thriller. Death of the Author, on the other hand, is more of a character study, delving deeper into Zelu’s life and family and meaningful meditations on humanity and technology.
Overall, Death of the Author explores what it means to be human in a world that isn’t built for you. Fans of metafiction with speculative elements will love Okorafor’s new work.
Death of the Author is out now and available for purchase from your local independent bookstore or Bookshop.org.
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