BINGO – Funky (because of the ending(s))
Binti travels back home with a fellow harmonizer from the Desert People tribe, Mwinye because they know that the Koush, a group of people who represent the majority of Earth are looking for Binti and and her Meduse friend Owku. The Koush and the Meduse have been at war for centuries and the Koush have attacked and destroyed much of Binti’s Himba community including her home in search of this one Meduse. Seems like a bit of an overreaction, right? In addition to grappling with the horrors of war, the destruction of her homeland, and the death of her family, Binti continues to struggle with who she is. Is she Himba, Meduse, Desert People, or something entirely different?
What Binti does know is that she is a Harmonizer. Regardless of what she is, she knows that she must establish peace. She tries to reason with the leaders of her community to do something since the Koush and the Meduse are fighting on Himba land, but they dismiss her because she is a girl and because she ‘deserted’ her community. Binti ultimately decides to take matters into her own hands by stepping into her own power.
I can’t talk about the last quarter of the book because it would ruin the biggest plot twist in the entire series, but there is a very shocking plot twist that absolutely left my jaw on the floor. It was daring. It was unexpected. It was horrendous. And it worked! I thought that it was a phenomenal end to the series. And then I looked at the percentage on my Kindle. 75%. Huh. Then the story kept going and there was another ending. And then another. And another… And then finally the book was done. It’s funny, the one time I want these books to be shorter, Okorafor makes it longer.