Gifted Writer and Instantly Memorable Characters

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As soon as I finished Ikenga by Nnedi Okorafor I checked what else she's written, because this middle grade novel was great, and if anything over too soon. It's part super hero origin story, part mystery, part coming of age tale.

Nnamdi is grappling with the death of his father, the honorable (and murdered) police chief of Kalaria. Instantly memorable characters like Mama Go Slow, Three Days Journey and the Chief of Chiefs, a major crime boss, all have the audacity to appear at the funeral. Nnamdi's favorite super hero is The Hulk, and it's a perfect choice for a twelve year old boy wrestling with rage. He's certain, as is his mother, that the Chief of Chiefs killed his father.

Fast forward to a year later, and Nnamdi is still stuck, unable to avenge his father's death. A visitor from the past arrives and he receives an Ikenga, a source of astonishing strength and the power to right the wrongs. But like The Hulk, it is difficult to control and could hurt people he loves, and the truth is far more complex than he imagined. The real gift in the writing is that he remains a twelve year old boy in spite of his power -- a boy who desperately misses his father.

Definitely planning to read this award winning authors Akata novels, and likely everything else she's written.