Non western-setting first contact novel that takes place in Lagos, Nigeria. Okorafor uses "Alien Landing" as a prop to talk about people and finding out what makes them tick. She offers different points of view to encompass Nigerian life and everything it has to offer. There is a military man who is in a spot of trouble for stopping his superior from assaulting a woman. The main protagonist is a scientist, a mother of two and a wife to a man who has recently started attacking her. The husband has found religion and that has had a huge impact on his life and his relationship with his wife. A famous musician gets added to the mix when these three happen to be at the same time at the same place - a beach, where they make first contact with the alien. 
 It isn't much of a story about the alien invasion or what their goal is. This incident slowly unfurls different factions of society and their vested interest in this incident. We learn more about humans- their motives, ambitions, greed, bias, hatred and compassion in these characters. The alien sees all of it first hand and doesn't shy away from imprinting her own brand of justice. The characters aren't unique to the place; they can exist anywhere in any part of the world. 
 Okorafor makes Nigeria and its culture as characters. She even uses some of the creatures from the Lagoon that its famous for. The opening act has a perspective from Swordfish that pretty much sets the tone for the novel. The lack of first contact trope is a breath of fresh air. Having set the story in a third world country, Okorafor has freedom to explore the chaos that follows crash landing and the unfolding drama that feeds this chaos. 
 A wonderful character study though the plot is very thin. And for me, that was okay.