Having loved the Binti novellas, it’s no surprise I’d have Okorafor’s latest on my TBR. And Remote Control was a home run for me. It’s a story about technology, fear, and coming to terms with our past. Keep reading this book review to see my full thoughts!
Summary
The day Fatima forgot her name, Death paid a visit. From hereon in she would be known as Sankofa–a name that meant nothing to anyone but her, the only tie to her family and her past.
Her touch is death, and with a glance a town can fall. And she walks–alone, except for her fox companion–searching for the object that came from the sky and gave itself to her when the meteors fell and when she was yet unchanged; searching for answers.
But is there a greater purpose for Sankofa, now that Death is her constant companion?
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from Netgalley. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
Remote Control is a fascinating SF novella about what it would be like to be unable to use technology is a technology driven world. At the same time it’s about so much more: a confused girl who is feared, what it’s like to be turned into a legacy, and not fitting into our world. In this futuristic setting, Sankofa is an intriguing narrator. The idea of death coming to call, but, of course, people will never understand that she is a force of mercy, not cruelty. Those moments of powers and actions we cannot control that end up destroying our lives, leaving those moments of the past behind.
Is Sankofa seen as mercy, a fail safe, or even a weapon? What part of her resides in her powers? And what future does she have? As I kept reading Remote Control, I fell even more in love. A love which was only sealed by this explosive ending. Our journey often takes us on detours, but the past will always have its reckoning. We walk along paths with mistakes, gifts, curses, and things we never meant, but happen anyway.
There’s so much more I want to talk about, especially about the last third, but I’ll wait for you to scream into my DMs. Because there will be lots of screaming.
Find Remote Control on Goodreads, Amazon, Indiebound, Bookshop.org & The Book Depository.