Riot Baby

I first came across Riot Baby last year when it was all over my feed. Somehow I still missed out on what it actually was about. Fast forward to this week, when it was the Tor.com Ebook club selection, and despite it not being on my weekly TBR for #BoutofBooks, I decided to sneak it in.

It couldn’t have been more timely. At its core are the discrimination and police violence against Black Americans. This is broadcast by a sibling pair (Ella and Kev) who have extraordinarily powers that might bring the world down.

This was not an easy read. It was saddening to read about how little chances they had in life, and in particular in the crumbling world that is presented in Riot Baby. We only get to see glimpses of this world, but it is pretty grim. It was a nice contrast to read about their sibling bond and how they stood up for each other. I would, however, have liked to learn a little bit more about their powers. I understand that these powers for them were also confusing and not clearly defined, but they stayed a bit vague during the story and seemed to morph with time.

Nevertheless I would certainly want to read more by Tochi Onyebuchi.