What an exhilarating journey this book takes you on! Primarily narrated through the perspectives of Kobby and Nana, both contemporary Ghanaians, it offers a dynamic portrayal of their contrasting worlds. Kobby embodies the liberal and Western-influenced facets of Ghana, while Nana represents the more traditional aspects of society. Set against the backdrop of 2019, the Year of Return, a period when the Ghanaian government encourages the diaspora, particularly those from the US and Europe, to reconnect with their roots, the story revolves around three friends from the US who spend two weeks in Ghana, interacting with both Kobby and Nana.

The narrative delves into several profound themes. At its core is the tension between black Africans and the descendants of black slaves living abroad, a theme that permeates much of the book's gripping tension. Additionally, it explores the gay experience in Ghana, examining how local individuals navigate the challenges of survival and flourishing within the societal landscape. The story also delves into the realm of psychological suffering and inner demons, exploring the struggle to confront and manage these internal struggles. As if this weren't enough, the book seamlessly weaves a thrilling narrative around a central mystery involving murder(s).

The narrative's power is undeniable, heightened by its superb use of language. Kobby and Nana's first-person narratives authentically capture distinct voices, making them feel like genuinely different individuals. The emotional tension and psychological depth are nothing short of spectacular. Kobby's story, in particular, proves mesmerizing, as his complex and multifaceted personality unfolds like a captivating thriller. The intensely personal characterization of the political dynamics at the story's core provides readers with a vivid understanding of what it might be like to live amidst the tensions between the local population and the returning diaspora.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

No One Dies Yet is a brutal and devastating insight into prejudice and racial tension in Ghana. We jump between narrators and get a well-rounded picture of life for the gay men of Ghana, twisted brutally by a shocking and terrible sub-plot of violence and death. This novel addresses many important topics of ethical importance and really makes the reader ask a lot of questions, wanting to know more the whole time. A wholly absorbing and riveting story, this is a must-read for lovers of novels showcasing life in an African nation, the intricacies of being LGBTQ+ in these environments, and even those who just love a dark and sinister plot. A very important and educational novel, and one that I will be recommending.

"No One Dies Yet" by Kobby Ben Ben is a thought-provoking novel that captures the essence of resilience and hope. Set in Ghana, it explores the lives of its characters, revealing the strength of the human spirit. Ben Ben's storytelling is poignant, offering a glimpse into the complexities of life and survival.

No One Dies Yet follows the journey of three American tourists and their two local Ghanaian guides as they explore a bit of the country in celebration of the Year of the Return in 2019. That is 400 years post the start of the trans-Atlantic trade; descendants were invited to Ghana to celebrate returning ‘home’.

No One Dies Yet is a captivating novel that is both raunchy and humorous. The author's vivid prose makes this book an exceptional read that delves into the complexities of the African diaspora, repatriation, and the queer community. The story features several gay characters, each with unique and complex personalities, providing readers with a glimpse into the often underground queer community in the country.

The elements of mystery, murder, and suspense in the book are so enthralling that readers may miss some of the details due to the many layers, textures, and subplots. However, the author intentionally crafted each event and character with great attention to detail, making them feel real and relatable. I particularly enjoyed the contrast between Kobby and Nana, two characters that epitomize the complexity of human nature. The unreliable narrators add to the intrigue of the book and leave much open to the reader's interpretation, making the story even more engaging.

No One Dies Yet is a slow read, but it's also thrilling and has a good balance of serious moments and tongue-in-cheek social commentary. The book's beauty lies in its defiance against easy categorization, as it seamlessly blends elements of different genres, making it a seminal work in its genre-bending nature. Overall, I found the book to be a masterful work of fiction that is both thought-provoking and entertaining.

No One Dies Yet follows the journey of three American tourists and their two local Ghanaian guides as they explore a bit of the country in celebration of the Year of the Return in 2019. That is 400 years post the start of the trans-Atlantic trade; descendants were invited to Ghana to celebrate returning ‘home’.

Raunchy, funny, and written in vivid prose, No One Dies Yet uniquely tells a story about the African diaspora, repatriation and relationship to the continent. Through multiple and complex gay characters, we get an insight into the queer community/ often underground in the country. The elements of mystery, murder, and suspense are so enthralling that if I had one critique, it would be that with so many layers and texture, it’s easy to miss details in the chaos. Still, every event and character feels intentionally crafted; there are nuances and flaws, and I loved the contrast between Kobby and Nana. This is also a beauty of No One Dies Yet, with unreliable narrators abound, things are open to the reader’s interpretation. In a murder mystery, you don’t take everything at face value, and that’s what No One Dies Yet insists readers do not do.

It’s a slow, delicious, and thrilling read with a good balance of serious moments and tongue-in-cheek social commentary.

No One Dies Yet feels seminal in its genre-bending defiance against easy categorisation, and I loved experiencing the novel in full.

(4.5)

No One Dies Yet by Kobby Ben Ben is a weird, chaotic, raunchy, and at times surreal, perhaps a little auto fictional literary thriller. In essence, I have no idea what I’ve just read, but my gosh, was it good.

Elton, Vincent, and Scott arrive from America in Ghana during the Year of Return in 2019. They plan to visit preserved sites from the transatlantic slave route, and to explore the country's underground queer scene. But this novel really isn't about them. Their activities are narrated by their two combative guides: Kobby, their way into Accra's privileged queer circles; and Nana, the voice of tradition and religious principle.

It’s the relationship between Kobby and Nana that I loved the most. To me they felt like a representation of two modes of Ghanaian masculinity at odds with but also, in some ways, co-existing with each other. Kobby is gentle and caring towards Nana who is convinced that Kobby is Anansi but still - initially - cares for him. It’s a heartbreaking relationship but can, at times, be deeply poignant. There’s a beautiful moment when both Kobby and Nana separately go in search of chickens for a spiritual ceremony that had me laughing and crying at the same time. I will say no more about it but know that the symbolism and foreshadowing in this book runs deep. 

NODY is heavy on social critique, which is well delivered but might not resonate with everyone. The book explores themes of sexuality, colonial violence, race, African spirituality, transnationalism, and much more. It's packed full of commentary on repatriation, offering a perspective that people from Western Black diaspora countries might not have fully considered. If you're considering joining the repatriation movement, this might be a great place to start!

However, NODY isn't solely a social critique. It's also completely unhinged, dark, graphic, and often funny. It’s undoubtedly  a crime thriller and is brutal in its matter-of-fact delivery of the more violent sections. This delivery consistently caught me off guard and left me unprepared for what lay ahead. I didn't know how to feel throughout much of the book which created a pretty tantalising and unique reading experience. I’m still not sure what happened in the end. 

Ben Bens’ writing style is immersive and refreshingly original whilst also being reminiscent of the 1980’s American novels he critically references in the book. Benn Benn also pulls no punches in his critique of Western publishing houses. It's a very clever, very meta book.  

His style is also intentionally chaotic, which I found appealing, but some readers might become frustrated due to the occasional stream-of-consciousness passages that can be slightly confusing. Because of this, I would categorise NODY deeply within the literary fiction genre. It's definitely not a light read.

Fundamentally, NODY is the kind of book people study. It’s dark, frank, sharp-witted, and reflective. It immediately struck me as a classic and will undoubtedly linger in my thoughts for a while to come.

Thank you to Netgalley and Europa Editions (UK) Ltd for this ARC Copy

Wow. Such a rollercoaster. This book is told (mostly) from the perspective of Kobby and Nana, both contemporary Ghaniains. The former represents the liberal and western-leaning Ghana, while the latter represents the more traditional part of that society. The story unfolds during 2019, the Year of Return, when the government of Ghana encourages blacks who live in e.g,, US and Europe to come visit Ghana and connect to their roots. The story centres 3 friends who come from the US, and meet both Kobby and Nana, and spend 2 weeks with them.

The book tackles multiple topics. First and foremost, it's about the tension between black Africans and the descendants of black slaves living outside of Africa. This is the central theme, and governs much of the tension in the book. Secondly, it's about the gay experience in Ghana, and how local gays survive and thrive (or not). Thirdly, it's about psychological suffering and inner deamons, and what it takes to exercise them (or at least keep them at bay). Finally, it's a thriller with murder(s) at its core.

The story is immensely powerful. Its use of language is superb - with the narratives of Kobby and Nana written in the first person, and genuinely coming across as being written by different people. The emotional tension and the psychological depth are spectacular. The story of Kobby in particular is mesmerising - he is such a complex and multifaceted personality that finding out more about him feels like its own kind of thriller. I also loved the intensely personal characterisation of the politics at the core of the book, which helped me see what it might feel like living in the midst of the tension between the local population and the "returnees".

I have to also comment on the fantastic depiction of gay life and culture in this book. It's probably the best I've ever read, in any novel, from any country. It comes across as genuine, authentic, warm, nuanced, complex, and intimate. It's not contrived, "over-acted", or over-dramatised.

The only flaw I saw in this book is probably the final chapter, which tells the story post 2019. Frankly, it would have been a better book without it. It felt like a 5 limb - it had a different vibe, rhythm, and style. It also felt faintly post-apocalyptic, but not in a great way.

Highly recommend it to anyone interested in Africa, the black experience, being gay in Africa (or elsewhere), relationship between men, trying to find oneself, impact of colonialism on contemporary culture, etc. One of the most powerful and intense books I read in a long time. I feel like Kobby will stay with me for a long time.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an early copy of this book in return for an honest review.

2019, The Year of Return. It has been exactly 400 years since the first slave ships left Ghana for America. Ghana has now opened its doors to Black diasporans, encouraging them to return and get to know the land of their ancestors. NO ONE DIES YET recounts the visit of three Americans, Elton, Vincent, and Scott, mostly narrated by their two guides, Kobby and Nana. This is a murder story unlike any other, in which no-one can be trusted.

NO ONE DIES YET is an ambitious, sprawling, and genre-bending book, which has a hook that is impossible to resist, but then never quite takes the reader where I was expecting to go. The characters are vividly created, each flawed in their own way, and I love how Kobby Ben Ben constantly challenges the things they say and do. I love a book where I don't know who to trust, and I really liked the way Kobby Ben Ben used this trope, which I associate with crime fiction, to question the characters' views on race, gender, and sexuality (amongst other things). There is a lot going on in this book, which deals with some hard-hitting themes, and makes a lot of thought-provoking points. However, I sometimes felt like NO ONE DIES YET was trying to do too much. This was a three-star rather than four-star read for me, because, despite the brilliant hook, I found it a bit of a drag at times. The epilogue, in particular, was too much for me (in terms of both length, and additional content).

NO ONE DIES YET is a book unlike anything else I have read, and I know it will stay with me for some time, but I personally found it a little long and unfocused.

This book deals with very interesting themes in a modern age and in an African country divided between the modern and the traditional. Thus we have one character who embodies modern Ghana, Kobby, and another who represents the traditional and religious side, Nana. Both look at each other with suspicion. On the other hand, we have Elton, Vincent and Scott, who play different roles: the Americans who come in search of their ancestors, the rich who are tricked into leaving money in the country, the danger that comes from outside, ... All of them are very well drawn, perfectly distinguishable from each other, who evolve throughout the story. This development of the characters is what I enjoyed the most.
The rest of the story was uneven. At times I was totally hooked, while at times I didn't know where the author was going. The author seemed to have a lot of ideas for a novel: the year of return, the murders, the "whites" who want to take money out of the country, the future, not forgetting the homosexual theme in Africa. He has not prioritised any one of them, he has wanted to give space to all of them, resulting in an interesting but exhausting read.

Español: Este libro trata temas muy interesantes en una época actual y en un país africano dividido entre lo moderno y lo tradicional. Así tenemos un personaje que encarnan la Ghana moderna, Kobby, y otro encargado de representar la parte tradicional y religiosa, Nana. Ambos se miran el uno al otro con recelo. Por otra parte tenemos a Elton, Vincent y Scott, que juegan diversos papeles: los americanos que vienen en busca de sus ancestros, los ricos a los que embaucar para que dejen el dinero en el país, el peligro que viene desde el exterior, … Todos ellos están muy bien dibujados, perfectamente distinguibles unos de otros, que van evolucionando a lo largo de la historia. Este desarrollo de los personajes es lo que más he disfrutado.
El resto de la historia ha sido desigual. A ratos he estado totalmente enganchada, mientras que en algún momento no sabía hacia dónde se dirigía el autor. Y es que pareciera que el autor tenía muchas ideas para una novela: el año del retorno, los asesinatos, los “blancos” que quieren sacar dinero del país, el futuro, sin dejar de lado el tema homosexual en Africa. No ha priorizado alguna de ellas, ha querido darle cabida a todas ellas, dando como resultado una lectura interesante pero agotadora.

No One Dies Yet is a genre-defying literary novel about three Americans visiting Ghana and the two very different tour guides who work to show them a complex place and the foreigners' strange position in the country. It is 2019 and Elton, Vincent, and Scott have come to Ghana for the Year of Return. The two narrators, Kobby and Nana, are their tour guides: Kobby, a writer and Instragram book reviewer who might be able to show them the underground queer scene, and Nana, who wants to protect the travellers from the dangers he sees with his religious beliefs and sense of tradition.

This is an epic and experimental book, told through two narrators who paint very different pictures of what happens, and whose tense relationship forms a weird centre to the narrative. There's an awful lot packed into the story, from biting critique of a range of people and actions to literary fiction jokes about what African literature that becomes popular in the US and UK has to be and who should read it. The main looming event is murder, teased from the start, but it isn't as simple as a murder story, and there's some fascinating layers to what goes on, particularly around queerness and survival. Woven throughout is Ghanian history and ideas of who tells it and what they engage with, and the book doesn't have any easy answers to its questions. Then there's the characters and their own experiences: of queerness, of race, and how they view the world.

It feels a bit meta to be writing an online review of a book that is by and about an online book reviewer, but the book also has some jokes about that world mixed in, with plenty of dark humour amongst the issues it explores. It is a book trying to subvert your ideas about what it is, whilst also questioning why you had those ideas in the first place.