Why You Need to Read: “Rosewater”

The Wormwood Trilogy: Book 1: Rosewater

By: Tade Thompson

Published: first published November 15, 2016; reprinted September 18, 2018

Genre: Science Fiction/Afrofuturism 

Winner of the Nommo Award for Best Novel 2017

Apart from the classified stuff about sensitives and the xenosphere, most information about the dome is in the public domain, but it is amazing that the fringe press and conspiracy theorists have different ideas…There are those who believe the dome is a magical phenomenon. I won’t get started on the quasi-religious set,” (Chapter One).

A friend of mine gave me an ARC of this book from one of the many book expos she attends every year. Instantly, I was captivated by the information found on the back of the book. An alien biodome with “healing powers” appears in Nigeria; people with abilities are either forced into hiding, or forced to work for the government; and, the rest of the world—such as the U.S.A.—have found a way to isolate themselves from the aliens and each other. Tade Thompson’s debut novel is a great combination of sci-fi tropes, human behavior, and originality. 

The characters in this novel are not trying to save the world, or travel into space. These characters are surviving within their communities due to secrets and abilities that others would die to know about. Kaaro is the protagonist of the story and we learn about him very quickly; he uses his abilities for the two jobs he has: as a security “monitor” at a bank and as an “informant” for the government. Kaaro is a “sensitive” who can “find things,” and before he worked at the bank and for the government, he was a criminal whose actions caught up with him. Readers learn about Kaaro through his interactions with Femi Alaagomeji, his boss; Aminat, his lover, who has secrets of her own; Molara, a strange being that resides within the xenosphere; and, the mysterious “Bicycle Girl” who may or may not have some knowledge about Rosewater, the biodome and its purpose. This is how readers learn of Kaaro’s character. Kaaro degrades himself, constantly, due to his low self-esteem and his guilt about his past. 

The plot for Rosewateris learning the how and the why the alien biodome appeared on Earth, and why it offers “healing” to humans. The plot unravels as the story moves along with readers asking questions about the biodome, the aliens, and the rest of the world. The multiple subplots: Kaaro’s abilities as a sensitive is being exploited by his employers, Kaaro’s budding relationship with Aminat and the secrets they decide to reveal to each other as they spend more time together, and Kaaro’s past actions and how they connect to the biodome. All of the subplots are connected to the plot of the story, and it’s not what you expect it to be.

The narrative within Rosewateris told from Kaaro’s point-of-view and is told in real-time with the chapters jumping back-and-forth across a time span of 30 years in various, and actual, locations—an achronological plot. With the exception of the chapters labeled “Now,” the narrative focuses on events that provide answers to the readers’ questions about the characters and the setting. Tade Thompson’s narrative—which is similar to the flashback narrative in the TV show, Lost—focuses on parts from Kaaro’s past instead of all of it. This way, readers obtain what is relevant to the story thus keeping it on track.

The style provided by Tade Thompson in the novel uses a reliable narrator. Usually, authors do not reveal whether or not their narrators are reliable, especially in first person narratives. However, with Kaaro readers know he is reliable due to his outlook of his life due to the choices he’s made as well as admitting how and why Kaaro became a criminal and everything else that happens afterwards. At the same time, we learn of Kaaro’s feelings about the biodome through the author’s tone (his attitude) and his mood (how the readers should feel) about the biodome, which is suspicion. The style within Rosewaterprovides several mysteries within this science fiction story.

The appeal surrounding Rosewaterspeaks for itself. The novel was so popular and so immersive that it won the Nommo Award for Best Novel in 2017, and was reprinted by Orbit in 2018. In addition, Tade Thompson’s book was nominated for the John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Novel in 2017. The Rosewater Insurrectionis the sequel to Rosewater, and it is one of the most anticipated speculative fiction books of 2019, which picks up where the first novel left off. Personally, Rosewatermade My Selections for Best Speculative Fiction Books of 2018 for similar reasons.

Overall, Rosewateris a brilliant debut novel that fans of speculative fiction will enjoy. Both the setting and the mention of science and religion provide a sense of realism to the story. My only issue with Rosewaterwas that the plot development and the character development took longer than other recent science fiction stories I’ve read. Yet, the buildup to the reveal(s) by the novel’s end will stimulate readers into reading The Rosewater Insurrectionand other stories by the author. Tade Thompson’s method of telling believable science fiction stories will leave readers entertained and vigilant. 

My rating: Enjoy It (4 out of 5)!