Akwaeke Emezi

"A tender, potent, and compulsively readable novel of a Nigerian-Indian family and the deeply held secret that tests their traditions and bonds"--

The Death of Vivek Oji

Alli

Somewhere, you see, in the river of time I am already alive.

Some people can’t see softness without wanting to hurt it

It’s a really good book that touches on a lot of issues surrounding gender, sexuality, grief and identity. I really enjoyed it but have to say the incest made me feel some type of way. I had to go back to see if I missed something, if Osita and Vivek were cousins in a way that your mother’s best friend child is your cousin but they are related by blood. I know this particular story of cousins being incestous does happen but it took me off guard and it ended up being THE story.

L’enthusiast

As I come here I realise how the cover of the book depicts a loose 'braid', and I'm back to a broken heart.  Akwaeke Emezi is an absolutely gorgeous writer. Their way of describing a thought, a feeling, so rare. Take this simple thought -

“Ikept the book for the title, for how it was spelled. Beautyful. I had no idea why that spelling was chosen, but I liked it because it kept the beauty intact. It wasn’t swallowed, killed off with an i to make a whole new word. It was solid; it was still there, so much of it that it couldn’t fit into a new word, so much fullness. You got a better sense of exactly what was causing that fullness. Beauty. I wanted to be as whole as that word.”

oh how gut wrenching it is to read something like this with the current backdrop given as the story progresses. As the book ends, you feel a little less broken, a little less whole. 

diya

As I come here I realise how the cover of the book depicts a loose 'braid', and I'm back to a broken heart.  Akwaeke Emezi is an absolutely gorgeous writer. Their way of describing a thought, a feeling, so rare. Take this simple thought -

“Ikept the book for the title, for how it was spelled. Beautyful. I had no idea why that spelling was chosen, but I liked it because it kept the beauty intact. It wasn’t swallowed, killed off with an i to make a whole new word. It was solid; it was still there, so much of it that it couldn’t fit into a new word, so much fullness. You got a better sense of exactly what was causing that fullness. Beauty. I wanted to be as whole as that word.”

oh how gut wrenching it is to read something like this with the current backdrop given as the story progresses. As the book ends, you feel a little less broken, a little less whole. 

i really cannot get over the incest chapter...

ash (smokedshelves)

I’m not even sure where to begin with how this book has made me feel. Gripping, masterful, insightful, beautiful, queer, brilliant, heartbreak 

Lydia Enge

Angeli

It's not the story but it was the way the story was told that made me not enjoy this book.

This would’ve been a masterpiece if it weren’t for the incest 

Alex

Anjorin Molayo 

“I don’t mind anymore. I see how things work now, from this side. I was born and I died. I will come back.
Somewhere, you see, in the river of time, I am already alive.” Damn, Akwaeke Emezi! You did this one. This was a 5/5 read for me. 

This book was so thought provoking, but it was a good one. I enjoyed reading this one. It was an emotional rollercoaster for me.

** spoiler alert **
           An easy 5/5. The writing is addictive, and it doesn't lose its charm as it continues— instead, it actually became harder to put the book down towards the end. Even though the book centers around Vivek/Nnemdi's death, the book allows the readers to fully know him even if it's through the eyes of others who hold such palpable deep affection for him/her, especially Osita. Albeit that only makes the grief by the end of the book more amplified and real as we as readers feel Vivek/Nnemdi's friend's and lover's grief almost the same way they do as we are only given little glimpses of Vivek's point of view— by the end, I too felt like I had lost someone dear to me who I had watched suffer but also rejoice in moments where they could fully express who they were. Wonderful structure of unravelling the story, wonderful characters, wonderful and yet saddening representation of what it means to be "queer" in Nigeria through the society it takes place and through the thoughts of Vivek's/Nnemdi's family and friends. I hope one day the happiness that comes with genuinely expressing our queer identities no longer has to shine behind closed doors of limited spaces— our smiles deserve to take place in every street and corner of the world.

ephe

** spoiler alert **
           2,5/5
i don’t know where to begin this review. i think i should first state that i probably lack cultural background as it is set in nigeria, being european makes me biased. that being said i will say that i really enjoyed the first half of the story, i really enjoyed how the themes were handled by emezi, i thought the prose was amazing and really liked the brotherly love between two only child, vivek and osita. i liked the parts with the nigerwives, how they gathered around their shared strangeness to the country. 
the second half of the book, starting from when vivek’s and osita’s relationship turned romantic, at first i was confused and i will admit that it got me triggered, but i got past it and finished the book - which i had decided against at first -. i liked their relationship - putting the incest aside - it was bittersweet, violent and beautifully written. i thought the relationship between juju and elizabeth was nice, some other parts i found kind of useless adding nothing to the plot. the last few chapter were quick but efficient, to me the ending was well managed, the mystery of vivek’s death finally unravelled. i was also (very..!) disappointed at the handling of vivek’s gender fluidity, how his friend never ever called him she or by the other name he chose for himself. i thought the headstone scene was nice though, how kavita - his mother - decided to honor his identity, also the force of her grief really shown during this scene, it was powerful.
overall the book was nice, i hated that the relationship was incestuous it was -to me- portrayed too positively. i liked that it had multiple point of views and the non-chronological aspect of the book it made the unraveling of the mystery of vivek’s death all the more powerful.

Hannah Yoon

This is my first book by Awaeke Emezi and it did not let me down. I had no idea what to expect before reading this. I don't think I even read the premise, but saw only positive reviews about it so I knew I had to read it. 

The ending is sometimes only the beginning. We know Vivek dies, but we are left wondering who this person was and what they meant to the people around them. Emezi beautifully weaves different perspectives and timelines to put together the story of Vivek. Though we know Vivek is dead, we also feel so much of who they are as the story progresses.

I appreciated how pain is weaved throughout the story with tender word choices. It's like Emezi was gently guiding us through Vivek's story and the feelings Vivek was experiencing. 

The longing to be seen and understood is felt throughout the whole book with each character. 

The only thing I had a hard time with was how quick Kavita reconciles who she thought Vivek was and who they were revealed to be. I wanted more of a struggle or battle.

A great and also easy read. It needs your full attention but Emezi draws you in right from the beginning.

I was absolutely gripped by anxiety this entire book. Extraordinarily vivid and heart breaking 

Shohini Gupta

camille peiffer

** spoiler alert **
           this was definitely a beautiful story about acceptance, love, and friendship. i wish it made me feel more than it did though. i agree with a lot of these reviews saying there were too many characters without enough storyline behind all of them and i think there definitely wasn’t enough from vivek’s point of view. i honestly wish there was more on his “blackouts” he was having as well because i don’t think that was ever answered.

tbh i really don’t understand why vivek and osita had to be cousins. why write part of the story as two cousins being in love with each other

Charlsy Sekyere

⭐️5

Having read 'You Made A Fool Out of Death With Your Beauty' by Akwaeke Emezi herself and disliked it heavily, I was hesitant to read another book by her, thinking she wasn't the right author for me. 

But now, having read 'The Death of Vivek Oji', I'm glad I didn't completely stray from her books, as despite being less than 300 pages, 'The Death of Vivek Oji' is one of the most bittersweet yet compelling books I've read this year. 

Throughout the book, the prose is expertly written. The intricacies of the characters' lives are beautifully explained, and I quickly warmed to the characters as a result. This book effortlessly weaves together themes such as the beginnings of first love, the despair of never really seeing your child in the light he or she has become and feels comfortable in and, the sorrow of losing a child, the restrictions of living in a society that doesn't understand you, and the kindness and solace of a chosen family found among young LGBTIA+ people coming together and finding spaces to exist. There wasn't a single theme in this book that hadn't been well explored. This book blew me away. I dislike nothing about this book. An absolute masterpiece.

Wow. I absolutely loved this. A gut-wrenching ode to queerness and love, this book and these characters will be with me for a long time. 

Angie Van Sprang

Alexa M

Akwaeke Emezi’s writing is beautiful as per usual. Wasn’t really a fan of how the narrative kept jumping around. I was expecting more of Vivek and his life and his experiences but 80% of the book was about other people? Also, the ‘thing’ that happens in this book… that doesn’t get addressed for being a ‘thing’… yeah… why?? No seriously, why is no one talking about this 😭 

This story had a lot of potential but didn’t live up to the hype for me. I guess it makes sense because this is not called ‘The Life of Vivek Oji’ but still.

There's much to love about this book. It's a depiction of grief,  neglect, and not being understood by others. I felt for Vivek because of the neglect and abuse during his short life. 

But, and it's a big but for me, the subject matter was just too much. This novel has every trigger warning out there, and I mean every one. It was hard to stomach. Books that depict such bleak lives with no redeeming characters don't bother me as much in an over-the-top thriller, but here it was just too much for me.

Cheri McElroy

Three and a half stars rounded down.

There's much to love about this book. It's a depiction of grief,  neglect, and not being understood by others. I felt for Vivek because of the neglect and abuse during his short life. 

But, and it's a big but for me, the subject matter was just too much. This novel has every trigger warning out there, and I mean every one. It was hard to stomach. Books that depict such bleak lives with no redeeming characters don't bother me as much in an over-the-top thriller, but here it was just too much for me.

Midori Kobayashi

4/5stars

Yes I am giving 4 stars to this book, yes I am STILL very confused as to how I feel about this: it is what it is. Okay but hear me out: On one hand the author has done a brilliant job with the composition and writing style and the topics covered are really important and it's a coming of age story set in Nigeria. But on the other other hand, there still are certain things I am not sure if I liked them in here. But the writing, the prose? ah *chef's kiss*-



I'm not what anyone thinks I am. I never was. I didn't have the mouth to put it into words, to say what was wrong, to change the things I felt I needed to change. And every day it was difficult, walking around and knowing that people saw me one way, knowing that they were wrong, so completely wrong, that the real me was invisible to them. It didn't even exist to them. So: If nobody sees you, are you still there?



As the title suggests this book is about the death of our main character: Vivek and the circumstances surrounding it. And his mom trying to find out the reason behind his death. Obviously there is more than what meets the eye, the mother doesn't even know the half of what was happening in Vivek's life. 
The one thing I really loved here was how Vivek's friends were so supportive of him throughout this whole journey, how they even stood up for him even after he passed away. That being said, I hated the character of Vivek's aunt(Mary? wtv her name was) Literally couldn't tolerate her for one second. 



If nobody sees you, are you still there?



Emezi has done a beautiful job with the LGBTQIA+ rep in the book. And not only rep, the descriptions are so well-written so accurate. For anyone who has ever experienced gender dysphoria you will see what I am talking about. There are so many diff characters in the book, there are gender fluid people, there are lesbians there are bisexuals- it's the whole thing and I think the major reason why it felt so natural and perfect was because they are themselves enby. They address the topic of identity and belonging in the most beautiful and heart-warming way. The characters were multi-dimensional and well written, to the point you felt for them and their struggle. It's like you almost wanted to reach out and comfort them, be there for them.



He didn't belong to you...You keep talking as if he belonged to you, just because you were his mother, but he didn't.

He didn't belong to anybody but himself.



That being said, was incest really necessary for the progression of the story? I don't know. I didn't feel comfortable reading about (view spoiler)[ Vivek and his cousin Osita having sexual relationships. I mean I get the part about trying to depict something that is unusual, unaccepted or even forbidden but incest? (hide spoiler)] I think the story could have done without it. But that's the just me. Rest I think the book was perfect. Highly recommend. 



Love and guilt sometimes taste the same, you know.



CWs for the book- loss of a child, physical abuse, domestic abuse, abuse of LGBTQIA+ people, homophobia, animal death, mentions of miscarriage + rape, death, incest

This book absolutely gutted me. Emezi is an incredible writer and has created possibly the most painful story I've ever read. Filled with grief, shame and fear, this book unravels the truth behind Vivek's death, slowly revealing their secret life and the pain that comes with holding such secrets. 

(I do wish the main characters had not been cousins because without that this would have been a full 5 stars for me.)

This book absolutely gutted me. Emezi is an incredible writer and has created possibly the most painful story I've ever read. Filled with grief, shame and fear, this book unravels the truth behind Vivek's death, slowly revealing their secret life and the pain that comes with holding such secrets. 

(I do wish the main characters had not been cousins because without that this would have been a full 5 stars for me.)

Isabela H 

When I first started this book, I immediately thought of A Chronicle of a Death Foretold and I was super excited when I got to the dedication and saw Emerzi's reference to Marquez. 
As someone who loved Death Foretold, I really liked the story telling of The Death of Vivek Oji because we learned the right information at the best times, and the criss-crossed timeline made the story all the more intriguing.

Stefanie  Uwah

For me, it was just okay. I'm having a hard time getting my thoughts together on this book but overall, I liked the ideas more than I liked the execution. There were lots of character elements that were mentioned but not explored. Lots of grey in this one. I love an ambiguous book as much as the next person but certain details were brought up about characters and not addressed at any other point in the book. It was a bit frustrating at times. By the end of the book, I didn't feel like I had a complete picture of who Vivek was and I was bummed about that.

Eva Bailey

3.5 stars. This book shattered me. The writing was also beautiful.

Celeste Richardson

While a beautifully written book, reading The Death of Vivek Ojo wasn’t a pleasant experience. Nor was it meant to be. This story is one of the dangers of boxing someone in with your expectations, and how violently those expectations can be railed against. Even if the person you’ve boxed in is someone you love desperately, and the person rebelling loves you just as much. It’s a tale of cultural norms not evolving with the times, and how harmful and heavy this can weigh on the younger generations of a society. It’s a story of family secrets, of misunderstood and hidden gender identities and sexualities and how keeping such secrets can fester within a soul. I was very uncomfortable with the levels of open-door, descriptive sexual content, but it was unequivocally central to the plot. A powerful book that I’m glad to have read, but will never be reading again.

The Death of Vivek Oji

Reviews

Highlights