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Edge of Here: Stories From Here to Now
Enter a world very close to our own...
One in which technology can allow you to explore an alternate love-life with a stranger.
A world where you can experience the emotions of another person through a chip implanted in your brain.
And one where you can view snippets of a distant relative's life with a little help from your DNA.
But these experiences will not be without consequences . . .
In this stunning debut collection, Kelechi Okafor combines the ancient and the ultramodern to explore tales of contemporary Black womanhood, asking questions about the way we live now and offering a glimpse into our near future. Uplifting, thought-provoking, sometimes chilling, these are tales rooted in the recognisable, but not limited by the boundaries of our current reality-where truth can meet imagination and spirituality in unexpected ways.
Allow yourself to be taken on a journey into worlds that are blazing with possibility, through stories that will lead you right up to the Edge of Here . . .
One in which technology can allow you to explore an alternate love-life with a stranger.
A world where you can experience the emotions of another person through a chip implanted in your brain.
And one where you can view snippets of a distant relative's life with a little help from your DNA.
But these experiences will not be without consequences . . .
In this stunning debut collection, Kelechi Okafor combines the ancient and the ultramodern to explore tales of contemporary Black womanhood, asking questions about the way we live now and offering a glimpse into our near future. Uplifting, thought-provoking, sometimes chilling, these are tales rooted in the recognisable, but not limited by the boundaries of our current reality-where truth can meet imagination and spirituality in unexpected ways.
Allow yourself to be taken on a journey into worlds that are blazing with possibility, through stories that will lead you right up to the Edge of Here . . .
248 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 14, 2023
44 people are currently reading
1573 people want to read
About the author
Kelechi Okafor
8 books52 followersI am Kelechi (Ke-leh-chee) Okafor and I'm a lover of words. I act, I direct and I write. I tweet and I dissect bits about society one podcast episode at a time.
When I am not doing all of the above, I teach pole dance and twerk at my studio Kelechnekoff Fitness in Peckham.
Society teaches us that we must fall into categories somehow. All I know is that I'm just a Baby Girl.
Thank you for visiting my page, and I hope you find what you are looking for on this page and in this life (profound, I know).
When I am not doing all of the above, I teach pole dance and twerk at my studio Kelechnekoff Fitness in Peckham.
Society teaches us that we must fall into categories somehow. All I know is that I'm just a Baby Girl.
Thank you for visiting my page, and I hope you find what you are looking for on this page and in this life (profound, I know).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews
November 30, 2023
I love a solid collection of short stories and this one has made it to my list. I find I don't read a lot of these books written by Black Women and I am happy to see the representation here.
When they say "perfect for Black Mirror fans" believe it! The stories felt oterwordly but also very relevant for what is happening in the world from a Black perspective. I particularly loved ALLY-CHIP because of how ingenious and fresh it felt.
A solid collection.
When they say "perfect for Black Mirror fans" believe it! The stories felt oterwordly but also very relevant for what is happening in the world from a Black perspective. I particularly loved ALLY-CHIP because of how ingenious and fresh it felt.
A solid collection.
September 27, 2023
A brilliant short story collection that will have you turning the pages and reading well into the night.
Most stories take you to a different time and world but you will surely see similarities with this world. With similar social and political issues and characters you can point out in real life.
In the author’s words “This is a world where Black women love and are loved back. This is a world where Black women don’t have all the answers.”
Think technology, time travel, friendship, romance and social justice all mixed together in palatable dishes.
November 26, 2023
A collection of science-fiction stories in the Afrofuturism mould, Kelechi Okafor’s Edge of Here presents the Black experience in a world where it becomes impacted by ever-expanding technology. It’s a somewhat uneven but occasionally brilliant work, and therefore an impressive debut for Okafor, given how difficult short stories can be. Afrofuturism is focused largely on how science and technology interact with the culture of the African diaspora, the global communities descended from Africa, and each of Okafor’s tales is led by Black British women.
The first story, “The Watchers”, is about an alien race that oversees a love story between two soulmates as they’re continuously reincarnated. Although Okafor’s style can be a little ropey, it’s easy to read and engaging. For all its lecturing aspects, “The Watchers” does feature some vivid characterisation, particularly with regards to Black women. The tale carries with it a charming mysticism, and a vision of colonial Africa as experienced by actual Africans, not just white mediators with their own agendas in telling Black stories.
I will say that Okafor’s dialogue and general prose have a slight tendency to clunk and clang, so that at times you feel like you’re being harangued more than spun a narrative.
I really started noticing this in the second story, “The Ally-chip”, about a microchip that can make white people feel black people’s emotional responses to everyday racism for them. A great idea for a story, and there are moments that ring true, such as when the chip’s teenage inventor is presented by media as a hut-dweller with little access to electricity because she’s from Nigeria, when in fact her family are relatively rich. Likewise when a Black reporter loses patience with a white interviewee and removes her microphone pack, a gesture he absurdly interprets as presaging assault.
Small moments like these illustrate well how Black people are subject to racist assumptions about their lives and intentions. But Okafor proceeds to then overexplain what we’re supposed to take from them, not allowing any potential subtext to evade blatancy. She hinges the story on a wealthy white recipient of the chip whose every statement is a ridiculous micro-aggression, to which the main character (a Black nurse) responds internally with scorn until both characters seem like wooden ciphers.
The best stories in Edge of Here are those with more of a mystical than hard sci-fi bent. “Blue” is a beautiful tale that uses Yoruba mythology in its dissection of a character whose strange gift for healing others’ psyches aligns with an aloofness in her personal life, as if the price of her genius is loneliness.
“The School-Run” is an intriguing but ultimately vague and unsatisfying story with a truncated ending, about a married woman who has visions of life with another man via a VR headset. In retrospect it picks up and then abandons several plot threads, toying in one with sexual fantasy (it has some good erotic writing here, succeeding where even a lot of good writers fail), but is ultimately unable to lead its narrative towards a convincing conclusion.
“UteruStar” is a funny and suspenseful satire of Kanye West’s alignment with white supremacy, about a racist cult planning to harvest prime female wombs, although its horror is dulled a little by some creaky plotting and sentimentalism. (This might be my issue more than Okafor’s. I like my horror to be a little meaner than she seems willing to be.)
“The Other Man” is a low-key relationship story dealing with a romance between an orphaned poet and a Black businessman who’s married but claims to be consciously uncoupling (to borrow Gwyneth Paltrow’s phrase). Like “The School-Run”, it feels rather diffuse and magazine-y, but has an interesting subtext about gentrification.
“Brooms” may be my favourite story in the collection, probably because it’s essentially a ghost story, one of my favourite genres. It’s about a photographer invited by her white boyfriend to a wedding at a plantation in North Carolina, where possibly spectral brooms appear to be accumulating, linked with a wedding tradition performed by slaves in the 19th-century. This is a deeply moving story about the legacy of the rape, torture, and other abuses that Blacks endured in the American South. One white character is named “Joan Crow”, an allusion to Jim Crow, a racist caricature of Blacks that dominated Southern culture.
Lastly, “Councilwoman” brings the collection back to the alien race seen in the first story, “The Watched”, with its tale of an elderly woman recalling her life as a government agent who comes to realise the sinister heart of power before returning to her spiritual self, observing human life and free will. The best parts of this story are its evocations of the alien race and their world, which are subtle and ethereal in a deeply affecting manner.
Edge of Here links its stories via various recurring elements that show that all of them take place in the same futuristic society. A lot of it appears to be structured around “The Ally-chip”, the titular chip making frequent cameos, which is odd given that that’s the least effective story. (In my opinion.) Although the book can be rather obvious and unsubtle at times, I’d recommend Edge of Here to lovers of science-fiction. It’s a work to shelve alongside such story collections as The Illustrated Man and the works of James Tiptree.
The first story, “The Watchers”, is about an alien race that oversees a love story between two soulmates as they’re continuously reincarnated. Although Okafor’s style can be a little ropey, it’s easy to read and engaging. For all its lecturing aspects, “The Watchers” does feature some vivid characterisation, particularly with regards to Black women. The tale carries with it a charming mysticism, and a vision of colonial Africa as experienced by actual Africans, not just white mediators with their own agendas in telling Black stories.
I will say that Okafor’s dialogue and general prose have a slight tendency to clunk and clang, so that at times you feel like you’re being harangued more than spun a narrative.
I really started noticing this in the second story, “The Ally-chip”, about a microchip that can make white people feel black people’s emotional responses to everyday racism for them. A great idea for a story, and there are moments that ring true, such as when the chip’s teenage inventor is presented by media as a hut-dweller with little access to electricity because she’s from Nigeria, when in fact her family are relatively rich. Likewise when a Black reporter loses patience with a white interviewee and removes her microphone pack, a gesture he absurdly interprets as presaging assault.
Small moments like these illustrate well how Black people are subject to racist assumptions about their lives and intentions. But Okafor proceeds to then overexplain what we’re supposed to take from them, not allowing any potential subtext to evade blatancy. She hinges the story on a wealthy white recipient of the chip whose every statement is a ridiculous micro-aggression, to which the main character (a Black nurse) responds internally with scorn until both characters seem like wooden ciphers.
The best stories in Edge of Here are those with more of a mystical than hard sci-fi bent. “Blue” is a beautiful tale that uses Yoruba mythology in its dissection of a character whose strange gift for healing others’ psyches aligns with an aloofness in her personal life, as if the price of her genius is loneliness.
“The School-Run” is an intriguing but ultimately vague and unsatisfying story with a truncated ending, about a married woman who has visions of life with another man via a VR headset. In retrospect it picks up and then abandons several plot threads, toying in one with sexual fantasy (it has some good erotic writing here, succeeding where even a lot of good writers fail), but is ultimately unable to lead its narrative towards a convincing conclusion.
“UteruStar” is a funny and suspenseful satire of Kanye West’s alignment with white supremacy, about a racist cult planning to harvest prime female wombs, although its horror is dulled a little by some creaky plotting and sentimentalism. (This might be my issue more than Okafor’s. I like my horror to be a little meaner than she seems willing to be.)
“The Other Man” is a low-key relationship story dealing with a romance between an orphaned poet and a Black businessman who’s married but claims to be consciously uncoupling (to borrow Gwyneth Paltrow’s phrase). Like “The School-Run”, it feels rather diffuse and magazine-y, but has an interesting subtext about gentrification.
“Brooms” may be my favourite story in the collection, probably because it’s essentially a ghost story, one of my favourite genres. It’s about a photographer invited by her white boyfriend to a wedding at a plantation in North Carolina, where possibly spectral brooms appear to be accumulating, linked with a wedding tradition performed by slaves in the 19th-century. This is a deeply moving story about the legacy of the rape, torture, and other abuses that Blacks endured in the American South. One white character is named “Joan Crow”, an allusion to Jim Crow, a racist caricature of Blacks that dominated Southern culture.
Lastly, “Councilwoman” brings the collection back to the alien race seen in the first story, “The Watched”, with its tale of an elderly woman recalling her life as a government agent who comes to realise the sinister heart of power before returning to her spiritual self, observing human life and free will. The best parts of this story are its evocations of the alien race and their world, which are subtle and ethereal in a deeply affecting manner.
Edge of Here links its stories via various recurring elements that show that all of them take place in the same futuristic society. A lot of it appears to be structured around “The Ally-chip”, the titular chip making frequent cameos, which is odd given that that’s the least effective story. (In my opinion.) Although the book can be rather obvious and unsubtle at times, I’d recommend Edge of Here to lovers of science-fiction. It’s a work to shelve alongside such story collections as The Illustrated Man and the works of James Tiptree.
November 28, 2024
A very effective set of short stories based in the same universe that highlights the frustration, isolation, and trauma of Black women at the hands of often “well meaning” white people. It calls out performative allyship and white fragility in a way that’s completely genius imo, I think this would be a great read for schools and workplaces tbh, very cathartic for people who understand these experiences and a learning moment for those that don’t.
November 15, 2023
Wow what a book I’ve been a massive fan of kelechi since discovering her Say your Mind podcast during lockdown. This book is just everything & more beautifully written stories then keep you hooked from start to end I really didn’t want any of them to end. This book is a glimpse into our already scary future and when it all starts happening you can’t say kelechi didn’t warn you all
June 27, 2024
What I liked about this book was that even though they were all short stories there were interlinked in some way and that made it interesting to read. There were some chilling stories and some that were about race.
Whilst reading I could actually imagine a lot of these things happening in our world and to be honest we’re not too far off 👀
My favourite stories (without spoilers)
🩷 Ally-Chip
The Ally-Chip is a chip programmed in the brain to allow you to feel the other person’s emotions.
🩷 School run- Alicia experiences an alternative life to her own.
🩷UteruStar- I really enjoyed the plot twist.
🩷 Brooom story- This was my absolute favourite of all stories! It’s based on an interracial couple attending a wedding and things are not all that it seems. This story was so good!!!!!!
🩷 Council woman - The government surveillance 👀
I also really LOVE the cover. It’s just soooooo vibrant 🔥
It was a lovely book and I’m so happy that I finally read it
Whilst reading I could actually imagine a lot of these things happening in our world and to be honest we’re not too far off 👀
My favourite stories (without spoilers)
🩷 Ally-Chip
The Ally-Chip is a chip programmed in the brain to allow you to feel the other person’s emotions.
🩷 School run- Alicia experiences an alternative life to her own.
🩷UteruStar- I really enjoyed the plot twist.
🩷 Brooom story- This was my absolute favourite of all stories! It’s based on an interracial couple attending a wedding and things are not all that it seems. This story was so good!!!!!!
🩷 Council woman - The government surveillance 👀
I also really LOVE the cover. It’s just soooooo vibrant 🔥
It was a lovely book and I’m so happy that I finally read it
January 12, 2024
I enjoyed this collection. Its like Black Mirror - but written from a contemporary Black woman's perspective. The prose is clean and functional and the book has some entertaining and interesting ideas, especially in stories like the 'The Ally-chip', 'Uteru-Star' and 'Broom' which were my favorites.
January 26, 2024
Kelechi Okafor is an absolute QUEEN. Her podcast is slay and her TED talk I attend years ago was dope AF too. This book was a gift and unfortunately, I just think short stories are not for me. Very interesting concepts though!
January 4, 2024
Once I got in,I was in! As an avid listener of SYM pod and supporter of #SallyInHR, I have looked forward to reading this book and it didn't disappoint. So proud of Kelechi for this debut. Her writing is beautiful and the tearing of singlets through the stories is just brilliant! I was hollering!!All the stories touch on individual interconnected themes in the lives of black people especially black women, However UteruStar took me tf out! Looking forward to reading more from Kelechi!
February 22, 2024
This collection of interconnected short stories had me in a chokehold thanks to its whimsical and thought-provoking blend of genres. There's sci-fi, dystopian, contemporary, historical, romance (including sapphic -yay!) and a little bit of suspense too. There's also humour, heart and hope, albeit with some hard lessons. And I swear if Charlie Brooker doesn't contact Kelechi Okafor to become head writer for the next series of Black Mirror, he needs his head read.
December 29, 2024
I devoured this book in less than 24 hours and I only cried twice. Brilliant all the way through
June 21, 2025
Enjoyed some stories more than others, and wished a few were a lil bit longer - but a great collection overall. Plus, I will always love Kelechi ❤️
February 17, 2025
did not enjoy some stories as much as others. i liked how all the stories were interlinked though. would give it 3.5 starts if i could
December 21, 2025
Some of these stories had very over the top eeeeevil antagonist (UterStar I’m looking at you) but they were overall pretty fun and quick to read so I enjoyed them!
June 22, 2025
Definitely a product of the podcast industrial era. Cool concepts but a bit too didactic with its prose and execution.
May 9, 2025
The stories were super intriguing and well paced. It's been days and I'm left wanting to know more about certain stories and thinking about the plots of others. I haven't read much sci fi but i do love this book. The writing itself is so textured and interesting. Its so layered and just a well crafted collection of short stories.
January 13, 2024
Fabulous
I love stories and short stories. Each short story is like eating a nice box of chocolates to your self. There are all kinds of flavours, sweet ones, (seemingly) plain ones and the coffee ones.
Each story in Okafor’s collection leaves you wanting to find out what next and that’s when your imagination can kick in.
The difference with this collection is that there is a thread going through. Not so much character driven but the world lived in. The same odd world viewed by others eyes at different points in time.
I can not say that one stands out more than the others because there is magic in each.
What I have known of Kelechi Okafor is her political and social commentaries on social media and tv. Always articulate, clear and researched. When it was announced her fiction book was coming out I was very pleasantly surprised and regretting not looking more into her career background. Okafor can create exquisite fiction and I also love that the characters are like me, black.
I can’t say that I disliked any part of it and I’m glad I allowed myself the opportunity to digest each story. Right at the end of the book I read so slowly because I just didn’t want the stories to end. The last story in the book was so utterly beautiful though and had feeling of hope that came at exactly the right time for me.
Looking forward to reading more from Kelechi Okafor!
I love stories and short stories. Each short story is like eating a nice box of chocolates to your self. There are all kinds of flavours, sweet ones, (seemingly) plain ones and the coffee ones.
Each story in Okafor’s collection leaves you wanting to find out what next and that’s when your imagination can kick in.
The difference with this collection is that there is a thread going through. Not so much character driven but the world lived in. The same odd world viewed by others eyes at different points in time.
I can not say that one stands out more than the others because there is magic in each.
What I have known of Kelechi Okafor is her political and social commentaries on social media and tv. Always articulate, clear and researched. When it was announced her fiction book was coming out I was very pleasantly surprised and regretting not looking more into her career background. Okafor can create exquisite fiction and I also love that the characters are like me, black.
I can’t say that I disliked any part of it and I’m glad I allowed myself the opportunity to digest each story. Right at the end of the book I read so slowly because I just didn’t want the stories to end. The last story in the book was so utterly beautiful though and had feeling of hope that came at exactly the right time for me.
Looking forward to reading more from Kelechi Okafor!
January 24, 2024
Ok. I thought i was going to fall in love with this book as it states 'it's the perfect collection for fans of Black Mirror' and I am a HUGE Black Mirror fan but, I found this was somewhat true. This book is a collection of science- fiction stories what links various recurring elements that take place in the same in the futuristic society and explores the political and social issues black people face in the world right now. Some story's were so engaging and some bored me to death, I nearly fell asleep driving (I listened to this). 'The Watcher' and the 'Ali Chip' were definitely my favourites to listen to which had me questioning my entire existence.
March 1, 2024
1🌟: The premise of this book was promising but the execution lacked heavily. It would have been so much better to have a few longer short stories, as the context for each of the stories were so different from one another. Alternatively, keeping everything in the same context and having the stories run on the same timeline would help with the cohesion it’s lacking. It suffered from telling and not showing, and leaps and bounds to express or conclude things within the space of a few pages. The varying quality in story telling and plot development across stories made it so hard to care consistently, as some stories far exceeded other stories in the collection.
August 11, 2024
A phenomenal debut!
This collection of short speculative sci-fi stories is a mind opening, multi-dimensional exploration of our future (and present).
I liked that the collection isn't entirely stand-alone. Each story takes place in a single vision of our collective and not too distant future.
There are technological threads that weave their way through each tale, and so there is a similar sensation to reading a novel, yet each story is distinct from one another.
Definitely could be episodes of Black Mirror.
This collection of short speculative sci-fi stories is a mind opening, multi-dimensional exploration of our future (and present).
I liked that the collection isn't entirely stand-alone. Each story takes place in a single vision of our collective and not too distant future.
There are technological threads that weave their way through each tale, and so there is a similar sensation to reading a novel, yet each story is distinct from one another.
Definitely could be episodes of Black Mirror.
January 23, 2024
This book was wild and after finishing it I feel I need to stare glassy eyed at the wall for a good hour to process everything I just read.
September 27, 2024
The concept behind most of the stories was interesting, but I found most of the dialogue and exposition quite clunky.
Fave stories: Blue, The Other Man
Least fave: Broom, The Watchers
Fave stories: Blue, The Other Man
Least fave: Broom, The Watchers
October 12, 2024
What a ride. From the beginning Kelechi lets you know you're gonna be left wanting, that this isn't your usual collection of fully formed stories, yet still I felt bereft every time one was 'cut short'.
From the beautiful first story you start to see how the elements of old and new, folklore and reality, horror and love, imagined futures and real history are going to be weaved together into these magnificent and imaginative tales.
The love in these pages is so beautiful to behold. Familial, friendships and lovers (real and digital?). I definitely wanted to keep going with some of the characters, to find out what next and see the happy ever after that surely, surely was due... I guess I'll have to imagine it for them myself.
It is a bit clunky in places, and almost every story has a hefty soft focus flashback section - but short stories are HARD! As a debut there is more to uphold and admire here than there is to critique. Kelechi has such a way with words that her fiction can only get better the more she writes.
As a white cis het woman with a ton of privilege, it made me think. My knee jerk reaction was 'Jheeze it's not still this bad is it?' Most white characters were embarrassingly awful (as people not necessarily the writing), almost caricatures. Cringingly tone deaf, self absorbed, wilfully blind, ignorant in a way I hoped would not be possible anymore, totally racist. Not to mention the absolutely unhinged ones. The reality is (barring a real life Ally Chip) I'll never really know right? But I can believe people when they tell me, rather than believe my wishful thinking.
It also held up a mirror to many books or films/shows I've read and watched that have had a Black (or Asian or Gay) character shoe horned in and just plastered with every stereotype rather than given their own personality or nuance like a white ('normal') character would be. This is jarring for me when it happens (and it still happens) so I can only imagine how sh*t it is to be Black (or Asian or Gay) and watch it ALL the time. This book was like a tiny taste of that.
The best stories are ones that give you lots to think about IN the story, but also outside of the story and these definitely do that.
From the beautiful first story you start to see how the elements of old and new, folklore and reality, horror and love, imagined futures and real history are going to be weaved together into these magnificent and imaginative tales.
The love in these pages is so beautiful to behold. Familial, friendships and lovers (real and digital?). I definitely wanted to keep going with some of the characters, to find out what next and see the happy ever after that surely, surely was due... I guess I'll have to imagine it for them myself.
It is a bit clunky in places, and almost every story has a hefty soft focus flashback section - but short stories are HARD! As a debut there is more to uphold and admire here than there is to critique. Kelechi has such a way with words that her fiction can only get better the more she writes.
As a white cis het woman with a ton of privilege, it made me think. My knee jerk reaction was 'Jheeze it's not still this bad is it?' Most white characters were embarrassingly awful (as people not necessarily the writing), almost caricatures. Cringingly tone deaf, self absorbed, wilfully blind, ignorant in a way I hoped would not be possible anymore, totally racist. Not to mention the absolutely unhinged ones. The reality is (barring a real life Ally Chip) I'll never really know right? But I can believe people when they tell me, rather than believe my wishful thinking.
It also held up a mirror to many books or films/shows I've read and watched that have had a Black (or Asian or Gay) character shoe horned in and just plastered with every stereotype rather than given their own personality or nuance like a white ('normal') character would be. This is jarring for me when it happens (and it still happens) so I can only imagine how sh*t it is to be Black (or Asian or Gay) and watch it ALL the time. This book was like a tiny taste of that.
The best stories are ones that give you lots to think about IN the story, but also outside of the story and these definitely do that.
October 28, 2023
Edge of Here by Kelechi Okafor — Kelechi Okafor combines the ancient and the ultramodern to explore tales of contemporary Black womanhood, asking questions about the way we live now and offering a glimpse into our near future. These are tales rooted in the recognisable, but not limited by the boundaries of our current reality-where truth can meet imagination and spirituality in unexpected ways.
—————
Okafor uses slight moments to teach of African history. I appreciate how it’s not overloading with information, but done in a way where the reader can take that small bit of information and research themselves.
Okafor highlights that there are high powers in the world, with this she is able to explore spirituality without being ‘overly’ religious, which I think will catch the interest of a lot of readers as we are living in a world where religious people are less and spiritual people are becoming the majority.
Okafor points out a common media issue is which is used the worse/ most stereotypical image of black people, basically as a form of propaganda to manipulate the image of the person to the wilder world.
I honestly think these stories are all excellent, these are definitely my favourite short story collection. It’s really hard to write a review as I have a long review for each individual story. Some of the recurring themes that stood out to me was the importance of not shortening African names, “You of all people should know they you don’t fuck around with Igbo names” (p.g. 6), as it’s something I see all the time and I hate that people shorten their names to fit into a western society.
My favourite stories were: ‘Chinonso and Ndidi’, ‘The Ally-Chip’, ‘Uterus star’ and ‘Broom’. I think this is an excellent read, and perfect for a Buddy read/ book club choice.
—————
Okafor uses slight moments to teach of African history. I appreciate how it’s not overloading with information, but done in a way where the reader can take that small bit of information and research themselves.
Okafor highlights that there are high powers in the world, with this she is able to explore spirituality without being ‘overly’ religious, which I think will catch the interest of a lot of readers as we are living in a world where religious people are less and spiritual people are becoming the majority.
Okafor points out a common media issue is which is used the worse/ most stereotypical image of black people, basically as a form of propaganda to manipulate the image of the person to the wilder world.
I honestly think these stories are all excellent, these are definitely my favourite short story collection. It’s really hard to write a review as I have a long review for each individual story. Some of the recurring themes that stood out to me was the importance of not shortening African names, “You of all people should know they you don’t fuck around with Igbo names” (p.g. 6), as it’s something I see all the time and I hate that people shorten their names to fit into a western society.
My favourite stories were: ‘Chinonso and Ndidi’, ‘The Ally-Chip’, ‘Uterus star’ and ‘Broom’. I think this is an excellent read, and perfect for a Buddy read/ book club choice.
August 18, 2024
Kelechi Okafor (2024) EDGE OF HERE: STORIES FROM NEAR TO NOW (AUDIOBOOK)
Audible - Orion Publishing
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 out of 5 stars
Audible writes, "Enter a world very close to our own...
One in which technology can allow you to explore an alternate love-life with a stranger.
A world where you can experience the emotions of another person through a chip implanted in your brain.
And one where you can view snippets of a distant relative's life with a little help from your DNA.
But remember: these experiences will not be without consequences . . .
In this stunning debut collection, Kelechi Okafor combines the ancient and the ultramodern to explore tales of contemporary Black womanhood, asking questions about the way we live now and offering a glimpse into our near future. Uplifting, thought-provoking, sometimes chilling, these are tales rooted in the recognisable, but not limited by the boundaries of our current reality-where truth can meet imagination and spirituality in unexpected ways. Allow yourself to be taken on a journey into worlds that are blazing with possibility, through stories that will lead you right up to the Edge of Here . . ."
=====
This should be on the curriculum in schools. The stories gave me pause, multiple. This is an audiobook to download, to keep and listen to again... and again. I'm positive that with each listen there'll be another sentence that resonates, a sentence you didn't hear before. The bit that stuck this time round is the part about not living to exist, but being alive in the now. Highly recommend this to all. Recommend also you follow Kelechi Okafor on social media. Much respect to her and her work.
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#KelechiOkafor #EdgeOfHere #StoriesFromNearToNow #Book #Books #Read #Reads #Reading #Review #Reviews #BookReview #BookReviews #GoodReads #Audiobook #Audiobooks #Audible
Audible - Orion Publishing
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 out of 5 stars
Audible writes, "Enter a world very close to our own...
One in which technology can allow you to explore an alternate love-life with a stranger.
A world where you can experience the emotions of another person through a chip implanted in your brain.
And one where you can view snippets of a distant relative's life with a little help from your DNA.
But remember: these experiences will not be without consequences . . .
In this stunning debut collection, Kelechi Okafor combines the ancient and the ultramodern to explore tales of contemporary Black womanhood, asking questions about the way we live now and offering a glimpse into our near future. Uplifting, thought-provoking, sometimes chilling, these are tales rooted in the recognisable, but not limited by the boundaries of our current reality-where truth can meet imagination and spirituality in unexpected ways. Allow yourself to be taken on a journey into worlds that are blazing with possibility, through stories that will lead you right up to the Edge of Here . . ."
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This should be on the curriculum in schools. The stories gave me pause, multiple. This is an audiobook to download, to keep and listen to again... and again. I'm positive that with each listen there'll be another sentence that resonates, a sentence you didn't hear before. The bit that stuck this time round is the part about not living to exist, but being alive in the now. Highly recommend this to all. Recommend also you follow Kelechi Okafor on social media. Much respect to her and her work.
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#KelechiOkafor #EdgeOfHere #StoriesFromNearToNow #Book #Books #Read #Reads #Reading #Review #Reviews #BookReview #BookReviews #GoodReads #Audiobook #Audiobooks #Audible
October 7, 2024
🗣💬: "The love keeps moving. It can't really stay in one place because it has to find you in every lifetime"
👩🏾🏫 𝔾𝔼ℕℝ𝔼: Short stories / Speculative fiction/ SCI-FI/ Dystopian
📄 ℙ𝔸𝔾𝔼 ℂ𝕆𝕌ℕ𝕋: 248
🎡 𝕋ℍ𝔼𝕄𝔼𝕊: Love . Reincarnation . Purpose . Black womanhood . Race . The Weight of the world
✍️ ℙ𝕃𝕆𝕋: Kelechi Okafor combines the ancient and the ultramodern to explore tales of contemporary Black womanhood, asking questions about the way we live now and offering a glimpse into our near future.
💭 𝕍𝕀𝔹𝔼𝕊: UPLIFTING - THOUGHT PROVOKING - VALIDATING - RAW - HUMOROUS - CHILLING - WARMING
💟 𝔽𝔼𝔼𝕃𝕊:
These stories were all heart. These stories were all soul.
This entire collection has been written with so much warmth and depth of thought which was a welcome juxtaposition to the assumption that it would feel cold or withdrawn, being of the Sci-fi genre.
Very 'Black Mirror / Love, Death & Robots' in it's concept with a delivery that truly speaks to some of the experiences of black women in relationships, with family, in the workplace, in friendships, with self expression, with societal expectations and at the heart of it all...with love.
The narrative voice was candid and open and I loved the omnipresent feel which entwined all the stories into this one universe.
I usually dip in and out of short story collections so the fact that I read this one through from start to finish speaks a lot to how easy the delivery of it all was and how immersive the storytelling is.
👩🏾🏫 𝔾𝔼ℕℝ𝔼: Short stories / Speculative fiction/ SCI-FI/ Dystopian
📄 ℙ𝔸𝔾𝔼 ℂ𝕆𝕌ℕ𝕋: 248
🎡 𝕋ℍ𝔼𝕄𝔼𝕊: Love . Reincarnation . Purpose . Black womanhood . Race . The Weight of the world
✍️ ℙ𝕃𝕆𝕋: Kelechi Okafor combines the ancient and the ultramodern to explore tales of contemporary Black womanhood, asking questions about the way we live now and offering a glimpse into our near future.
💭 𝕍𝕀𝔹𝔼𝕊: UPLIFTING - THOUGHT PROVOKING - VALIDATING - RAW - HUMOROUS - CHILLING - WARMING
💟 𝔽𝔼𝔼𝕃𝕊:
These stories were all heart. These stories were all soul.
This entire collection has been written with so much warmth and depth of thought which was a welcome juxtaposition to the assumption that it would feel cold or withdrawn, being of the Sci-fi genre.
Very 'Black Mirror / Love, Death & Robots' in it's concept with a delivery that truly speaks to some of the experiences of black women in relationships, with family, in the workplace, in friendships, with self expression, with societal expectations and at the heart of it all...with love.
The narrative voice was candid and open and I loved the omnipresent feel which entwined all the stories into this one universe.
I usually dip in and out of short story collections so the fact that I read this one through from start to finish speaks a lot to how easy the delivery of it all was and how immersive the storytelling is.
February 5, 2024
Wow, I loved listening to Edge of Here narrated by the author, Kelechi Okafor.
The closest thing I’ve read that resembles this is The Deep by Rivers Solomon. I say resembles because I think Edge of Here has its own distinct vibe.
It’s a collection of eight short stories written with a savant mix of dystopia, futurism, folktales and contemporary fiction. I like the large palette of characters and the nods to Nigerian culture.
My favourite short stories are: UteruStar, Ally-Chip, Blue and Councilwoman.
I just love how we seem to time travel between the past, present and a scary but all too plausible technology-fuelled future.
Okafor skillfully weaves contemporary themes such as activism, racial and social justice, performative allyship, and ethical concerns surrounding technology into her stories.
Her writing style is lively, at times lyrical. I can’t wait to see these stories brought to life on our screens. Let’s just pray they don’t whitewash the beautifully written characters in which Okafor has undeniably poured so much love into.
This might be my favourite book of 2024. Time will tell.
The closest thing I’ve read that resembles this is The Deep by Rivers Solomon. I say resembles because I think Edge of Here has its own distinct vibe.
It’s a collection of eight short stories written with a savant mix of dystopia, futurism, folktales and contemporary fiction. I like the large palette of characters and the nods to Nigerian culture.
My favourite short stories are: UteruStar, Ally-Chip, Blue and Councilwoman.
I just love how we seem to time travel between the past, present and a scary but all too plausible technology-fuelled future.
Okafor skillfully weaves contemporary themes such as activism, racial and social justice, performative allyship, and ethical concerns surrounding technology into her stories.
Her writing style is lively, at times lyrical. I can’t wait to see these stories brought to life on our screens. Let’s just pray they don’t whitewash the beautifully written characters in which Okafor has undeniably poured so much love into.
This might be my favourite book of 2024. Time will tell.
March 8, 2025
If I could go back and experience this book again and again for the first time I would! Kelechi Okafor is queen of the written and spoken word and I find these stories written so achingly beautifully!!!
They are all at once Poetic, spiritual, original, layered, socio-political commentary, topical, Afro futuristic, and otherworldly exploring themes of love, race, feminism, spirituality, history, AI and modern and futuristic society. this book has everything.
I’m blown away by the prose but equally blown away by the original dystopian scenarios which are all the more topical with the recent rapid emergence rise and evolution of AI and its Pandora’s box full of capabilities!
I loved loved loved this book and the seamless worlds and visceral characters created, scenarios explored and in doing so, vital questions asked.
Many have compared this book to Black Mirror but I have to say I feel it’s far better. It is intrinsically layered with dissections on race, black womanhood and spirituality which elevates it to new realms.
I can’t wait for Kelechi’s new book and have already pre-ordered!!!
They are all at once Poetic, spiritual, original, layered, socio-political commentary, topical, Afro futuristic, and otherworldly exploring themes of love, race, feminism, spirituality, history, AI and modern and futuristic society. this book has everything.
I’m blown away by the prose but equally blown away by the original dystopian scenarios which are all the more topical with the recent rapid emergence rise and evolution of AI and its Pandora’s box full of capabilities!
I loved loved loved this book and the seamless worlds and visceral characters created, scenarios explored and in doing so, vital questions asked.
Many have compared this book to Black Mirror but I have to say I feel it’s far better. It is intrinsically layered with dissections on race, black womanhood and spirituality which elevates it to new realms.
I can’t wait for Kelechi’s new book and have already pre-ordered!!!
November 23, 2023
Edge of Here is a brilliant collection of short stories. The stories are so engaging, your connection with the characters are instantaneous; you forget they are not the first chapter of a book.
Themes:
🩷 time travel
🩷 dystopian
🩷 magical realism
🩷social commentary
🩷 friendship
🩷 romance
🩷 Speculative fiction
This was a refreshing book to read as a black woman. The characters are not caricature; they are funny, passionate, sad, hopeful, they are authentic and familiar. As the author says ‘this is a world where black women love and are loved back. This is a world where Black women don’t have all the answers’. It was bold, realistic and imaginative.
If you are familiar with Kelechi you will already know she has an excellent way with words and it was exhilarating to see her words applied to fiction.
Perfect for fans of black mirror; it leaves you with a lot of thoughts about the world we currently live in and its trajectory. I loved that each story stood on its own but were also interlinked.
My favourite stories were: ‘Broom’ ‘Councilwoman’ and ‘The Ally-Chip’.
Themes:
🩷 time travel
🩷 dystopian
🩷 magical realism
🩷social commentary
🩷 friendship
🩷 romance
🩷 Speculative fiction
This was a refreshing book to read as a black woman. The characters are not caricature; they are funny, passionate, sad, hopeful, they are authentic and familiar. As the author says ‘this is a world where black women love and are loved back. This is a world where Black women don’t have all the answers’. It was bold, realistic and imaginative.
If you are familiar with Kelechi you will already know she has an excellent way with words and it was exhilarating to see her words applied to fiction.
Perfect for fans of black mirror; it leaves you with a lot of thoughts about the world we currently live in and its trajectory. I loved that each story stood on its own but were also interlinked.
My favourite stories were: ‘Broom’ ‘Councilwoman’ and ‘The Ally-Chip’.
January 5, 2024
Synopsis: Enter a world very close to our own... One in which technology can allow you to explore an alternate love-life with a stranger. A world where you can experience the emotions of another person through a chip implanted in your brain.
Kelechi is a genius for thinking of these amazing futuristic and innovative concepts.
I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed this book! I think I enjoyed it because it was fresh premise for black female characters and for someone who is not a sci-fi fan, this book defied all the stereotypes I hold about the genre and has changed my heart, and I will continue to read books that follow this new sci-fi era.
I felt empowered reading these stories as a black woman. The stories give power and love to the black woman and in most of the stories, it was so refreshing to not see black women being stereotyped.
One story I am still constantly thinking about is the ability to experience the emotions of another person through an implanted chip. This was VERY interesting especially when experiencing the emotions of someone of a different race and class.
I felt transported to a futuristic world. Even though the stories felt out of this world, they didn’t feel too far from what is going on now in our current technology, biotech and AI world. The stories make you think about the world we are living in and leave you wanting more.
A mix of sci-fi, futuristic, technology, mixed with Yoruba mythology. READ THIS BOOK. I would love for these stories to be adapted for TV.
Kelechi is a genius for thinking of these amazing futuristic and innovative concepts.
I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed this book! I think I enjoyed it because it was fresh premise for black female characters and for someone who is not a sci-fi fan, this book defied all the stereotypes I hold about the genre and has changed my heart, and I will continue to read books that follow this new sci-fi era.
I felt empowered reading these stories as a black woman. The stories give power and love to the black woman and in most of the stories, it was so refreshing to not see black women being stereotyped.
One story I am still constantly thinking about is the ability to experience the emotions of another person through an implanted chip. This was VERY interesting especially when experiencing the emotions of someone of a different race and class.
I felt transported to a futuristic world. Even though the stories felt out of this world, they didn’t feel too far from what is going on now in our current technology, biotech and AI world. The stories make you think about the world we are living in and leave you wanting more.
A mix of sci-fi, futuristic, technology, mixed with Yoruba mythology. READ THIS BOOK. I would love for these stories to be adapted for TV.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews