In addition to short stories, my year of short fiction includes novellas. Novellas have various definitions as to length. The Hugo Awards define them as “between seventeen thousand five hundred (17,500) and forty thousand (40,000) words.” In other words, a short novel. The most recent novella for me, Binti by Nnedi Okorafor, won both the Hugo and the Nebula awards.
The story takes place in a future where humans on earth are selected to study at a galactic university. As it starts, the title character is sneaking out of her African village to travel to study there on a full scholarship. She is sneaking out because it is against her family’s wishes. She is talented and is expected to take over her father’s business. She feels drawn to something more. And boy does she find it on her way to school.
In this Afrofururist tale, the author really brings Binti to life and gets you rooting for her as she handles all that comes her way. She is a child of her village and family but also has her own way that she seeks to follow as she manages her conflicting emotions. Binti is the first of three novellas in the series. The others being Home and The Night Masquerade. I look forward to reading the further adventures of Binti.
My rating: 4/5
