Remote Control, Nnedi Okorafor: A Five-Star Review

I've had this on my list for a while now, and seeing as Women in Horror Month is underway, I was excited to start this one.

Set in a futuristic Ghana, Sankofa is the adopted daughter of Death. Unable to touch anything with a charge, she travels by foot from town to town, accepting offerings and taking those who wish to no longer be in pain. But before Sankofa, she was just a girl--a girl who found a strange alien artifact and discovered a troubling power that would change her life, sparking a journey to find who or what she has become.

I LOVED this book.

From the crisp storytelling to the vivid imagery, Okorafor's depiction of Sankofa is stunning. Both wise and learning, she approaches the world with a juxtaposition that leaves you much the same way. Is this an origin story? A coming of age? A redemption? A warning?

Yes to all.

Okorafor examines humanity's relationship to technology, earth, and accepted societal paradigms through Sankofa's chance interactions. We see kindness, hostility, devastation, and rebirth and cannot separate one from the other.

It is impossible to choose a favorite moment. This is the kind of book you can read over again and find something new to appreciate each time.

Stunning and smart, Remote Control should be a 2021 must read. I'd recommend to fans of character-driven techno-thrillers, horror lovers, and anyone looking for a protagonist as endearing as she is dangerous.