Emma Dabiri is an African-American writer who has a penchant for exploring the lives of others at their most vulnerable and complicated times. Her first book, Cosmopolitanism, focused on the relationship between a happily married couple. It depicts the tensions and conflicts that arise when one member of the couple becomes increasingly Westernized while the other retains much of her African heritage. In A Place of Execution, Dabiri returns to the story of a young woman, Jill Bekily, who is murdered in front of her children.
In Age of Rebellion, Dabiri tackles the issues of race, gender, immigration, and PTSD. Her characters are not complex, as they are stereotypical in nature. Dabiri’s use of language is also tired and repetitious, particularly in her description of the war in Namibia. This is not a criticism; however, I felt that she did not dwell enough on what was at stake for the characters in this story. In contrast, Paula Sage’s Just Give Me Time is a refreshing read due to its focus on individual freedom and the true meaning of time and space.
Despite her status as a cisgendered black woman, Dabiri does not present or deal with issues of race or ethnicity. Instead, her descriptions of Jill Bekily and her relationship with her stepmother, Phoebe, are presented in the third person. The writing style contains many descriptive flourishes such as “her pale skin and rosy cheeks” and “her hands, like plastic and sharp” (ivas). Throughout the novel, we are repeatedly told that Dabiri “loved” her mother, but there is no mention of their personal history. Although it would have been more meaningful to include the mother’s role in the development of Dabiri’s character, this does not detract from the book.