x0 by Sherrie Cronin
5 out of 5 stars
(also known as To The Power of Zero when said aloud) by Sherrie Cronin is a thrilling science fiction novel with a global twist. Lola Zeitman’s life has been pretty standard up to now. And the birth of her and her husband’s firstborn son, though arduous, was the beginning of a pleasant family life, filled with school lunches, neglect for her geologist career, and love. For Somadina and her sister Nwanyi, though, the death of their mother during those years ended any change for real family relationships with either parent. In their hometown in Nigeria their father withdrew into his shell of pain and anger and remarried, leaving the girls to grow closer and closer together. Nwanyi relied on Somadina for everything.
Then, after Lola’s 40th birthday and re-entry to the workforce, sixteen-year-old Nwanyi is given in marriage to a stranger from another tribe and city. The bride price is higher than expected, the groom is a complete unknown, and Somadina is uneasy. Half a world away, Lola begins to feel uneasy about her own sister, and cannot shake the emotions.
That is the start of a slow trickle of feelings, sensations, and thoughts between the two women. Somadina and Lola, two very different women, begin to realize what is going on — then they discover they are not alone in this phenomenon. As Nwanyi edges closer and closer to complete disaster, she cries out to Somadina and Lola, who must work together to discover what has happened to her.
This story is amazingly well-researched and has many multi-media links embedded in the text to help you engage with the culture and story. The relationships are complex and satisfying. I found the premise — telepathy on various levels — fascinating. The mystery and search for Nwanyi offers a convincing and dramatic plot.
It is difficult to get much benefit from the multi-media links on the traditional Kindle device — but it’s not a problem to read the story without stopping at each one. A Kindle Fire is recommended to get the full benefit, or you could read it with Kindle for PC or refer to your computer as necessary. The story is tight at the beginning of the book, but does start to unravel slightly at the end. It finishes well, but feels a little unbalanced. The author tries a little too hard to scientifically justify the telepathy — I didn’t think it really needed that much explanation.
This book is definitely not for children. There are several adult situations, including some physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. I didn’t feel they were gratuitous — the sense of urgency accelerates throughout the story. There are also racial and societal issues discussed, including culture, terrorism, and eugenics. I rate this book as appropriate for Adults (who know what they’re getting into) on the Aardvark Scale.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in order to review it.
The above links are affiliate links to Amazon.com. See my disclosures here.
