A Couple of Criticisms
At times, Zoo City seems a tad ham-fisted with the points that it's making. For example, the all-too-subtle satire of rap music videos with Slinger, and the ensuing dialogue between Zinzi and Emmanuel. While mildly entertaining as a brief moment of satire, Beukes interrupts the narrative just to critique rap and create fake, half-baked counterarguments which she can then rebut. It seems petty to me, but I'd be interested to know what others thought the purpose of this moment may have been.
Otherwise, choosing the name "Odysseus," even when shortened to "Odi," seems a tad blunt to me. In fact, I think it seems almost disrespectful to conjure the complexity and depth of Odysseus in a story without giving that character the time his namesake merits. Perhaps we'll receive more exposure to Odysseus later in the novel, but for now it seemed as though Beuke dropped a name to display how well-read she was. There may be aspects to Odi that bear a resemblance to those of Odysseus, perhaps the great journey that he sends Zinzi on, or his willingness to sacrifice his companions to achieve his goals, but these thematic parallels paint a mere caricature of the original. I think it's wisest to retire the name in most cases, just as sports teams retire the numbers of their most important players.