I received an eARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I fell in love with Awkaeke Emezi's writing as soon as I read Freshwater last year, so The Death of Vivek Oji was one of my most anticipated releases of 2020. From the first, one-sentence chapter I was hooked on the plot, and ended up reading the whole book in less than 48 hours.

The way this book is structured - with the mystery of how Vivek died, the events leading up to his death, and the way his death affects his loved ones - makes the story captivating even though you know from before you open this book that the titular character will die. The chapters are told from different points of view and from different points in time, with all of these perspectives coming together cohesively to form the whole story.

Emezi's writing style is as gorgeous as always, and their characters are beautiful in their imperfect complexity. The relationships between them are also beautiful, complex, and challenging. In their interview with Rivers Solomon for Greenlight Bookstore, Emezi talked about how they wanted to present these relationships as they were without telling the reader how to feel about them and leave the reactions up to the readers - I could definitely see and feel this when reading The Death of Vivek Oji, particularly in regards to the central relationship (which is consensual but incestuous).

As with their previous books, Emezi's writing is informed and influenced by personal experiences of growing up in Nigeria and their own intersecting identities. The influences from life - Igbo spirituality, the Nigerwives, the politial upheaval, the conflict between the different religious and ethnic groups - give this story a richness and realness that add to the compelling and emotive nature of the plot.

Overall, I enjoyed The Death of Vivek Oji just as much as I was expecting to and highly recommend it.

Content warnings for this book can be found at: https://booktriggerwarnings.com/index.php?title=The_Death_of_Vivek_Oji_by_Akwaeke_Emezi

"Some people can't see softness without wanting to hurt it."

This book is a gut-wrenching story of grief, sexual identity and gender. It’s a short book, a snapshot of the days leading up to the death of Vivek Oji by showing glimpses of his life and relationships. The story is told from multiple perspectives. Vivek’s chapters are my favorite as they are told in short, devastating vignettes that depict just how lonely and isolating his life was, for example "alone is a feeling you can get used to, and it’s hard to believe in a better alternative." Emezi’s writing is truly exquisite. The pain this family felt was palpable and the Nigerian setting was so strong. Emezi’s musings on self expression and the limits of the body in this book (and Freshwater) are awe-inspiring. It’s so easy to see that they pour their entire soul into their stories. And I will read every single one of them.

Pet was one of my favorite books of 2019. I could not believe how deftly Emezi handled the subject matter. The story was beautiful and horrifying and marvelously crafted to deliver a powerful lesson without ever feeling like a morality tale. I had high hopes for this new title - unfortunately I never connected with it and I never found myself experiencing that same magic in the storytelling style this time around.

Don't get me wrong - Emezi is a talented writer and there are brilliant observations and statements sandwiched on here, but I just never fell into the story, I struggled from the beginning to connect with the characters and to feel that same powerful resonance with the story being told that I experienced so profoundly with Pet.

I loved this book. The writing was superb, the story was heart breaking and lovely at the same time. The author does a wonderful job portraying grief.

“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?”
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Thanks @netgalley and @librofm for advanced copies of this one #freebook. This book is too beautiful for words. I read it in one day. I cannot wait to read every book by @azemezi. The last chapter had me sobbing, not because it was overly climactic (the biggest spoiler is in the title and in the first sentence, like Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng), but because it was written in the most gentle, loving fashion and I just loved Vivek Oji with my entire heart. It was wrapped up perfectly and sadly and lovingly and wow holy moly I’m tearing up right now thinking about it. There is a consanguineous relationship in the center of the book, so if that triggers you, just know that going in. But I’m not going to comment on it because I understand there are cultures different than my own and I don’t think it detracted anything from the story for me. Above all, it is about standing softly in your truth, forgoing society’s standards on gender and queerness, and the crushing guilt of grief. “Some people can't see softness without wanting to hurt it.”
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4.5/5

The first thing I need to point out is that this book is very much about transitioning. I will refer to our main character in this review as Vivek, as this is what she is referred to by throughout the novel and in the title, but it must be made clear that Vivek chooses to fully embrace her identity at the end of the novel and changes her name to Nnemdi. I will be using she/her pronouns.

"But if that pleasure was supposed to stop me from being a man, then fine. They could have it. I'd take the blinding light of his touch, the blessed peace of having him so close, and I would stop being a man.

I was never one to begin with, anyway."


----------

It goes without saying: Akwaeke Emezi has an incredible command over the English language. Their ability to truly capture so much atmosphere and so much depth in such a short space is astounding. Emezi's writing is truly beautiful and heartbreaking all at once.

"I was drowning. Not quickly, not enough for panic, but a slow and inexorable sinking, when you know where you're going to end up, so you stop fighting and you wait for it all to be over.


The Death of Vivek Oji is very much a character-driven novel, with this underlying mystery that begs to be solved. Each character is multifaceted with their own individual stories to follow. There was an interesting commentary on 'ready-made' communities through the Nigerwives, a group of women who had married Nigerian men and left their home countries to be with them. There was an intriguing moment of wondering if the bonds between characters were 'real' or 'ready-made'. For me, they were absolutely real. The completely unconditional love and protection that Vivek's friends offer her in her moments of vulnerability had my heart soaring beyond belief.

"I know what they say about men who allow other men to penetrate them. Ugly things, ugly words. Calling them women as if that's supposed to be ugly too."


The relationship between Vivek and Osita was heart-wrenchingly beautiful: the feeling of true understanding between them; the ease with which Osita accepts Vivek's true identity as Nnemdi. It was a little difficult at times to ignore the fact that they were cousins, but aside from this, the bond they had was incomparable. It felt as though Osita was the only person to really know Vivek, inside and out.

"You know what's been happening in your head. You're the only person who knows So ask yourself if it feels right, and somewhere, deep inside of you, there's a compass that will tell you whether you're right or wrong."


The ending had my jaw on the floor. Part of me knew it was coming, but I suppose I spent the book wishing it wasn't true. This isn't a book with a mystery you can solve. It's a book with a mystery that you've already solved, that you hope will unravel because the true resolution couldn't possibly be real. The Death of Vivek Oji isn't 200 pages of physical death, but a rapid descent down the rabbit hole that leads to the eventual death -- both literal and figurative -- of Vivek Oji.

I can only highly recommend this book.

Trigger Warnings: rape, death, incest, adultery, abuse, misogyny, homophobia, graphic sex scenes, internalised homophobia.

Thank you to Netgalley, Faber & Faber and Akwaeke Emezi for providing me with an e-copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

The Death of Vivek Oji had me completely hooked from the very first sentence through to the very end. The writing was superb. Not a word was wasted and it was beautifully and cleverly crafted. Close and attentive reading was richly rewarded. The story switched narrators and points of view, it moved around in time yet I was never ever confused.

Although the title leads us to believe this book would be about Vivek’s death it was actually about Vivek’s life, a life that was slowly revealed, mostly through the eyes of Osita and other friends and family members. Death, when it came, was maybe more mundane than we had expected, anti-climactic in some ways but also reinforcing the message that it was the life that was important and valuable.

As a reader themes of self-acceptance, living your true life, and loving, accepting and valuing people for who they truly are really struck me.

“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...If nobody sees you, are you still there?”

“Beautyful. I had no idea why that spelling was chosen, but I liked it because it kept the beauty in tact. Beauty. I wanted to be as whole as that word.”

"Why are you so afraid? Because something is different from what you know?"

As the title of this book states, this story is about the death of Vivek Oji! But it is even more so about his life and the influence ha had on the people around him. Vivek was a complex character, growing up in Southeatern Nigeria, the son of a Nigerian father and immigrant Indian Mother.
It's a coming of age story and on finding your sexual identity.

We get to see how Nigerian culture leaves little room for those who are different and it shows the restrictions that society puts on us.

Another thread throughout the book is that of the Nigerwives (foreign women married to Nigerian men) and the challenges they face in their roles as immigrants and it explores another concept of the "otherness" of people that is looked at in the novel.

"If nobody sees you, are you still there?"

Thank you netgalley and Faber books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. This is definitely a book that I would recommend!

What a stunning story. I’ve seen so much praise for this book and it definitely lives up to the hype. The last few chapters WRECKED my soul.

This was a solid read, but I just did not love it. It’s beautifully written and very descriptive so the author is obviously very talented. I did not fall in love with the story, so it’s 3/5 ⭐️ for this one.

TL; DR: go and read it now!

The death of Vivek Oji starts with one of those sentences that grabs you and keeps you reading: "They burned down the market on the day that Vivek Oji died."

From there, the book is a story of belonging, identity and grief in Nigeria. Vivek's life is told from the perspective of his family and friends, the daughters from the Nigerwives: foreign wives of Nigerian men. We barely hear Vivek's voice, which for many other readers seems to be offputting. I actually enjoyed it, as this form gives us the opportunity to hear directly from the others about how their relationship with Vivek affected them, both during his life and after his death.

The other sticky point seems to be the length of the book. I didn't feel it was too short, but I was drawn to it from the beginning, unlike other reviews I've seen. I enjoyed learning and seeing the society and culture from the beginning.

The writing is beautiful and captivating. I read the book in one sitting, and I will definitely go and check Akwaeke Emezi's other book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Faber and Faber for the ARC.

The Death of Vivek Oji is so beautifully written that I found myself captivated by it. It reads like a mystery in many ways because we don’t learn the truth about what happened to Vivek until the end and if you’re anything like me, you’ll find yourself desperately trying to figure it out.

Although it’s stunning in style and content and I loved the overarching themes of identity and community, this isn’t going to be a book for everyone. That’s not to say that it’s not an important read because it absolutely is and I think that the way it challenges societal norms regarding gender and sexuality is wonderful. I love that it encourages us to be more accepting of others. However, it is quite a sexually charged book and the relationship between cousins Vivek and Osita does venture into incest.

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.

Wow I did not know what to expect going into this, but this story was incredible. This was such a powerful story about gender identity, family, and relationships. Vivek struggles to understand himself and his place in his family and the world. The story alternates narrators and timeline, helping piece together Vivek's relationships and what happened to him, revealing the loneliness he suffered and his ultimate goal to live the life he wanted. At the beginning the characters were difficult to keep straight, but quickly were identifiable and helped tell the story. This was a beautifully written and powerful story and I highly recommend checking it out.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

WOW. I was not expecting this after reading the blurb... This book was sensational. I very rarely cry when reading but the ending of this book left me in tears. I've never felt so attached to the characters in a book like I did with this one.

After the first few chapters, I almost decided to dnf the book as I found the number of characters difficult to follow but I'm so glad I didn't. The storyline picked up very quickly and was definitely full of heart-wrenching twists and turns. Vivek and Osita's character developments were excellent and the use of Nigerian Pidgin vernacular made it captivating and so rewarding. A must read!

I received a reviewer copy of The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi from the publisher from Faber & Faber from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

CW: Conversion Therapy. Transphobia and homophobia.

What It’s About: This book follows the life of Vivek Oji and those who loved him. The book starts with Vivek's death and it switches between a before and after timeline.

What I Loved: I honestly loved everything. This book is short but it is so powerful. Emezi weaves a beautiful story, where every detail was carefully chosen. The writing was so perfect and it was a delight to read for that reason but also this story holds you captive. You want to know Vivek and what is going on the whole book. This book studies identity: sexual identity, gender identity, identity as a parent, etc. It is a study of grief. You will be transported and feel like you want to hold and protect Vivek.

What I didn’t like so much: Really can't think of anything, this novel was well paced and compelling.

Who Should Read It: People who love literary fiction. People who love stories that transport them to new places and explore different cultures. People who love to read books about complex characters. People who don't mind a book that will make them cry.

General Summary: A story of a life and identity.

The hype for The Death of Vivek Oji is well deserved. The title alone tells the reader that Vivek is dead, but there is a layer of mystery about the details that slowly dissolves as the plot moves forward. It was a slow buildup that turns into a heart-wrenching story by the last third of the book. Vivek’s death catalyzes the plot, but the story as a whole gracefully explores themes of identity, sexuality, grief, friendship, and family.

The writing is beautiful. It bounces across perspectives through many side characters. I craved more from Vivek’s perspective, but the use of other characters’ perspectives effectively showed how every person knows different version of Vivek and uniquely mourns him.

The whole story tugs at heartstrings and the ending is unforgettable. I am certainly inspired to read more by Akwaeke Emezi.

The Death of Vivek Oji tells the story of those touched by Vivek in his life and death. For how intense and heavy this book and its content are it was one that I didn't want to stop reading. This book is incredible. I need to pick of the rest of Emezi's work.

The Death of Vivek Oji starts as the title suggests with the death of Vivek Oji. It then goes back and we see glimpses of Vivek's life and how his death impacts those who loved him.

This is not a long book but I felt completely captivated by its beautiful writing. This is the second book I have read by Akwaeke Emezi and I want to read everything they ever write now.

Published at the end of the summer, this is the latest work from The Women’s Prize-longlisted writer Akawaeke Emezi, whose debut ‘Freshwater’ was universally lauded: like her previous novel, this new book deals with characters who seem to slip between worlds. As the title plainly states, Vivek Oji is dead, yet also seemingly not: the book slowly pieces together his life and the fallout from his death from the perspective of those closest to him, but Vivek also returns himself to add colour and life to these anecdotes, to rewrite the story from a different point of view.

Born on the day of his grandmother’s death and bearing an identical birthmark to the family’s matriarch, Vivek is continually between states, raising questions of selfhood and identity from the very first moments we meet the eponymous character. His absent father Chika and besotted-to-the-point-of-obsessed mother Kavita are the touchpoints who first identify the character’s otherness: “He should have known, Chika told himself as Kavita screamed in grief, Vivek clutched to her chest. He did know. How else could that scar have entered the world on flesh if it had not left in the first place? A thing cannot be in two places at once… this is how Vivek was born, after death and into grief.”

This is a book about how something – someone – can be in two places, two states at once: in just a few sentences the narrative can take us from soft, maternal delight at the young Vivek’s warm skin to brutal, bloodied grief at the wrapped corpse left on the family’s veranda.

Some changes cannot be avoided: death is a part of life, and present throughout, but what happens to our true selves when we are forced to adjust, to alter our nature to make those around us more comfortable? Do we end up, like Vivek, feeling heavy our entire lives – “ like being dragged through concrete in circles, wet and setting concrete that dried with each rotation of my unwilling body. As a child, I was light… I slid through it and maybe it felt like a game, like I was just playing in mud… but then I got bigger and it started drying on me and eventually I turned into an uneven block, chipping and sparking on the hard ground, tearing off into painful chunks.”

There is no escaping Vivek’s fate, but as with his grandmother’s passing, birth often follows on from death – if in an unexpected fashion. Tender and painfully raw in places, The Death Of Vivek Oji is a book that will stay with you long after the sad conclusion that all of a sudden has been hiding in plain sight throughout.

Cambridge Edition Book Club 'Autumn Reads' October 2020 (link to follow)