Nataliya's Reviews > Binti
Binti (Binti, #1)
by
by
This is... cute, I guess. Imaginative. Fresh. But yet lacking so much of what makes a cohesive seamless narrative that I am indeed surprised to see that it won the Nebula Award.
I hate to call this one childish for the one reason: good stories aimed at the youngsters should possess the wonderful level of imagination and complexity. And this one has all the foundations, so wonderfully laid out in its strong beginning, promising the strangeness of mathematical reasoning weaved together with the tribal culture rites. But, sadly, the promising start quickly disintegrates into a story that blithely speeds along to the conclusion it desires while ignoring character building, logic, and any resemblance to the actual complexity in the interpersonal (interspecies here, I guess?) relationships.
I guess I must call this story, despite the imaginative and fresh initial premise, just simplistic and naive. Because this is how we wish the world would work: forgiving any murder or war and accepting your enemies once a miscommunication of sorts has been cleared (or magically covered with magical mud, if you so wish) and harmoniously living ever after in a wonderfully harmonious universe. And about that mass murder that was just shrugged off? Well, sorry, but now we are cool, I guess, and even participate in a sort of a student exchange program? Ugh.
Acceptance does not work like this. It really does not. Sorry.
Anyway, I'm not sure how this ended up getting such accolades. Okorafor has written much better stories but this is sadly lacking. But yes, cute.
2.5 stars.
——————
Also posted on my blog.
I hate to call this one childish for the one reason: good stories aimed at the youngsters should possess the wonderful level of imagination and complexity. And this one has all the foundations, so wonderfully laid out in its strong beginning, promising the strangeness of mathematical reasoning weaved together with the tribal culture rites. But, sadly, the promising start quickly disintegrates into a story that blithely speeds along to the conclusion it desires while ignoring character building, logic, and any resemblance to the actual complexity in the interpersonal (interspecies here, I guess?) relationships.
I guess I must call this story, despite the imaginative and fresh initial premise, just simplistic and naive. Because this is how we wish the world would work: forgiving any murder or war and accepting your enemies once a miscommunication of sorts has been cleared (or magically covered with magical mud, if you so wish) and harmoniously living ever after in a wonderfully harmonious universe. And about that mass murder that was just shrugged off? Well, sorry, but now we are cool, I guess, and even participate in a sort of a student exchange program? Ugh.
Acceptance does not work like this. It really does not. Sorry.
Anyway, I'm not sure how this ended up getting such accolades. Okorafor has written much better stories but this is sadly lacking. But yes, cute.
2.5 stars.
——————
Also posted on my blog.
Sign into Goodreads to see if any of your friends have read
Binti.
Sign In »
Reading Progress
June 28, 2016
–
Started Reading
June 28, 2016
– Shelved
June 28, 2016
–
Finished Reading
Comments Showing 1-33 of 33 (33 new)
date
newest »
message 1:
by
Tatiana
(new)
-
rated it 2 stars
Jun 29, 2016 03:06AM
reply
|
flag
@Carol: I fully agree. This 'fraternization with the enemy', so to speak, did come out of nowhere. No buildup, no justification - it just suddenly was there to fulfil the direction in which the author wanted to take the story.
@Bill: Who knows - maybe it will strike a chord with you that it didn't with me. Many seemed to like it and even love it.
Exactly. Things like that do not - cannot - just disappear solely for plot convenience!
That’s an interesting way to look at it, I suppose. But still it was too nonchalant for me to ring true.
It’s been a long time since I read this novella. From what I recall it’s not just that the larger galactic society decided to forget the murders, but Binti herself acted the same way — as though those murders were little but a bit of a misunderstanding, a little snafu that’s all behind her now. It seemed very simplistic and quick and a bit twee. It will be like a civilian gladly hanging out with an exchange student who was one of those who killed that civilian’s friends. It would take more than a quick “sorry” to leave that behind.
But I’m basing this on the faded recollection of this story, so take this with a grain of salt.
Okorafor’s Akata Witch is better, and so is her new one Remote Control. Take Thompson’s Rosewater worked for me as well.
I’m glad I’m not the only one who wasn’t excited about Binti — it got all kinds of accolades, which left me quite surprised. But reading is subjective, I guess, and definitely didn’t work for me.
Well, then I’m glad I skipped them.
That's true. However Binti was scared tired and may have a stockholms syndrome. Also these Khoush who died treated her people cruelly. She also wanted to prevent more deaths. In what's going on now look how quickly 5 people dying in the capital riots have been forgotten by some people. Also she is a harmonizer which apparently and she helped enemies come together. This book is much deeper than most people took it as.
I think vast majority of readers did love it, so my opinion is in the minority. I guess it’s quite subjective which books we love and which ones we don’t. I usually like Okorafor’s books, but this one just did not work for me.
Huh?
Haha, thanks! Yes, the praise for it left me a bit surprised.
Huh?"
great review :)
Huh?"
great review :)"
Thanks :)
Happy to be of service ;)
I’m telepathic that way 🤷♀️
Spoiler alert:
She died, to reborn and only stays worried because can't have kids anymore.
Bitch, please. You burned, visited Gods and became alive again!!!!