[On May 10, 2021 Strange Horizons officially expressed its political support for Palestinian solidarity. The views of Tangent Online reviewers are not necessarily those of Strange Horizons. Fiction critiqued at Tangent Online is, as much as is humanly possible, without prejudice and based solely on artistic merit.]
Strange Horizons, September 13, 2021
“An Exploration of Nichole Otieno’s Early Filmography (1232-1246)” by Kola Heyward-Rotimi
Reviewed by Tara Grímravn
In this week’s issue, the editor of Strange Horizons has selected a story written by Kola Heyward-Rotimi titled “An Exploration of Nichole Otieno’s Early Filmography (1232-1246).” Written in the 1st person as if it were a scholarly article, the story tells of the narrator’s trip to his homeland on the islands of St. Isila. Once there, he seeks out three films by filmmaker Nichole Otieno, the first of which, Fallen Leopard, he finds in the home theater of a woman named Ekene. After being fortunate enough to be treated to a private viewing of the film, a series of unfortunate events finds Ekene being evicted and forced to give up her film collection, prompting her to hand the copy of Fallen Leopard over to the narrator. After this, he starts the search for the final two films.
When I first started reading this story, I very much wanted to like it. I’m a genuine fan of stories born of cultures different from my own and love hearing the voices of their authors. Sadly, especially given the title, it promises something far more interesting than it actually delivers.
Frankly, it is incredibly and laboriously boring, much like the narrator. I found it a struggle to get through the more than 9,000 words because it simply doesn’t hold the reader’s interest. While I understand that it’s meant to be similar in style to a scholarly article, it is also just as dry as the worst of the same. And the rare mentions of shifts, magical hieroglyphs, and “lifesigns” aren’t enough to make up for what it lacks.
Too, I spent a good portion of the story trying to figure out where this story is set. While we’re told about a town called New Coaston and a set of islands called St. Isila, there’s no telling exactly where this is. A Google search turned up no results for these locations, so I couldn’t work out just where I, as a reader, was supposed to be. About a third of the way through, it becomes clear that it’s on another planet, but not only is it far too late at this point because I’m already pulled completely out of the story, it also doesn’t add any dimension of interest to the narrative.
Overall, I simply couldn’t get into this story. The anthropologist in me applauds its attempt to discuss the lasting effects of colonialism on native cultures and the minimization and destruction of cultural heritage, but it’s just weighed down by an incredibly stodgy, monotonous narrative.