Scan barcode
macnsleaze's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
j9wan's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Confronting read, very well done.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Homophobia, and Death
majkabe's review against another edition
3.0
lowkey the biggest disappointment of 2023. i was expecting so much and i never got it
mariahistryingtoread's review against another edition
2.0
Trigger warnings: Transphobia, homophobia, rape, physical abuse, emotional abuse, Christian extremism, incest
*Note: Vivek used he/she pronouns, but only she pronouns when operating as Nnemdi - the name Vivek picked to reflect the change from one to the other. Vivek is queer, but it can only be assumed Vivek is trans mtf as it is never definitively verified what Vivek's gender identity was. I'm going to use he as it seems to be the most apt pronoun given how Vivek never confirmed one way or the other what was preferred nor seemed particularly interested in clarifying one way or the other when presented the opportunity.*
The Death of Vivek Oji was super popular on BookTwitter. I got it back when I still had Book of the Month so I think it was late last year, maybe early this year? It's not important enough for me to look it up. I'm merely setting the stage: I had this book on my radar for quite a while before reading it. Boy, was it a ride.
If I had to describe this book in one word it'd be messy.
If you ever read a lot of my reviews you’ll see a few of the same grievances pop up - I’m fairly consistent when it comes to what I dislike. One of my biggest is being misled by the synopsis.
From the synopsis you're led to believe this is about Vivek Oji - a life snuffed out too soon after years spent in emotional upheaval. Except that's not true. The book actually is a look at the impact of a single person and that person happens to be Vivek Oji.
Told through multiple points of view, The Death of Vivek Oji explores the lives of Vivek’s loved ones in moments in the years predating his death and the fallout afterwards. Vivek chimes in to offer an opinion on certain events, however, it is only in brusque intervals that add nothing to the story due to their brevity. Out of 24 chapters, Vivek only has 7 chapters. On its face that seems like a lot until you realize that it’s only 18 pages out of 245.
The result is that Vivek largely felt like a plot device rather than a fully realized character. You can make the argument that Vivek's lack of presence adds to the tragedy of Vivek's life. I'd counter, that if the purpose was to highlight the absurdity of trans or gender nonconforming individuals' stories being dictated by those around them due to the flagrant anti-trans rhetoric embedded in society Emezi should not have included Vivek's POV chapters at all as the inclusion distracted from the ultimate goal.
Rather than offer insight into Vivek’s perspective on certain key events, it serves as an unwelcome interruption as Vivek’s commentary is mostly generalized abstract ruminations. Even if I’m incorrect about Emezi’s intentions I still maintain my position because I don’t feel like these interludes added enough to the story to justify their incorporation either way.
This issue is not limited to Vivek. While there are several different points of view, this story is fundamentally Vivek’s cousin Osita’s above all else as his is the only one that actually meaningfully contributed to Vivek’s personal journey. The others had impact for sure - outside of a random bystander who had one chapter that had zero value whatsoever - but it wasn't anything I felt warranted the explicit deep dives into their psyches. I want to point out I’m arguing purely on principle here as I did not even find Osita all that compelling. Regardless of my disinterest in him, using Osita as the focal point would have been better because it would have focused the story more and provided much needed direction. Additionally, it would have introduced an opportunity to understand Vivek on a more intimate level given how close Osita was to him.
I didn't care that much about anyone other than Vivek's mother Kavita. Her grief was really well explored. Her pursuit of justice for Vivek, as inconsequential it would be in the grand scheme of things, was the most interesting part of the book. She made mistakes. She had her flaws. She didn’t understand Vivek nearly as much as he deserved. Yet, her love for him was evident at every turn. She was doing the best she could with the information she had. It doesn’t absolve her in the least, however, her desperation for any possible explanation for such a senseless, inexplicable act of cruelty at the expense of every facet of her life was heartbreaking. It’s tough to lose a child. It’s tougher to realize after the fact that the child you lost was only a facade, I thought her journey to be painfully realistic.
Outside of Kavita, everyone else was very nebulous and ill-defined. This is not a very dialogue laden book. A majority takes place purely in introspective reminiscence. The characters suffered for it as it was impossible to see this group of people as close to each other or Vivek when there were so few examples as to the aforementioned closeness. I'm supposed to feel the loss acutely from these people but Emezi mostly tells me they are reeling. I rarely felt genuinely immersed in their heartache. The story usually chooses to gloss over the transitional, foundational events that bridge the gap between the bigger happenings. Not being privy to many of their interactions severely limits the scope of the story. It feels as if the characters exist purely as pawns to act out the specific story beats, not as real people in a three dimensional world.
Incest is a major part of the story. Like I mentioned before this book was super popular in online book circles. Yet, absolutely no one in the months I saw this book recommended ever brought up how the most integral romance involves first cousins engaging in a romantic relationship. There is even a somewhat graphic sex scene.
I wanted to know the thought process behind it so I went digging. I found a video where author Rivers Solomon interviews Akwaeke Emezi in which it's discussed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1m-2SavdS8 - skip to the 30 minute mark
Emezi’s reasoning is multifaceted. First they found the idea of it titillating. As a dabbler in dark romance I have no room to judge the inclination to write perversion. It can be liberating or just plain fun. They also wanted to take a look at a taboo that more people participate in than will admit and the intersectionality of it all. The reaction to incest is a sociocultural one - in many communities it is not uncommon to marry let alone sexually experiment with a relative. Lastly, they wanted to push the reader to reconsider their potentially narrow, limited perspective on morality. Removed from a Eurocentric, white, cisgender framework what exactly is so wrong about incest? If the two people are not going to have biological children, if the two people were the same age when it started so there is no risk of grooming, if the two people were consenting adults, then what is the harm? Where does that disgust come from? As Emezi states,
“It’s not about the story. It’s about the reaction within the person whose receiving the story. I’m interested in the way that writing deviance challenges peoples’ experience of themselves in terms of what they would have thought was okay, what it brings up for people”
In this regard, they certainly succeeded. Just take a look at some of the other reviews and it’s obvious that something was ignited by the use of this plot point. And their entire rationalization for it is exactly why I try to read outside of my comfort zone or beyond my own experiences - I want to be provoked mentally, spiritually, academically, you name it.
Now that I’ve established its objective merit I can freely admit that it still grossed me out. I understand what Emezi was going for. It did make me think about how my response to some things is learned not intrinsic. I could see all the little decisions that led to the two finding solace in one another. It makes sense from a narrative point of view. I just can not jive with it either way.
The fact that no one seemed to think it worth a trigger warning is bizarre. I don’t think anyone is somehow intellectually superior for being able to compartmentalize their emotional reaction and their critical analysis. I was able to assess accordingly and it still squicked me out. So people seemingly choosing to actively disregard this basic consideration is so insensitive to me. It is not a sign of immaturity or a lack of comprehension. It is only natural that the average person will find the incest off-putting - social conditioning or not. Plus not everything that is conditioned necessarily needs to be re-examined or corrected.
All of this is to say whatever you feel, whether that be revulsion or immediate acceptance, is valid. The entire point is technically to feel anything.
Not being behind the central relationship does unfortunately mean a significant chunk will inherently not appeal to you and there will be an obstacle to empathy for the characters. I’m not saying you won’t or can’t feel bad or connect to the circumstances presented. I am saying that depending on how averse you are, your enjoyment will undoubtedly be affected as it obviously puts a different spin on the book as a whole.
On a related note, I also think that there is a conversation to be had about how this unintentionally re-inforces the damaging misconception about homosexuality being deviant behavior. I can see why in these exact parameters how Osita and Vivek were drawn to one another, but the choice to depict this dynamic does not exist inside a vacuum. If the book were better written I would be inclined to ignore this as the overall point would shine through enough that this aspect would not matter or it would be woven into the other themes of the story.
As it stands, I largely feel that Emezi could have saved the incest for a different book entirely where that is the primary and/or only focus rather than trying to make it work in this one where it has the opportunity to be misconstrued due to the attention needing to be divided.
The realization of what happened to Vivek is supposed to be shocking. I found it to be a fairly predictable outcome. I did not care about one characters’ involvement because I cared so little about the characters in general. The non-linear format was a hindrance as it made it difficult to stay on track - though admittedly this is more a personal problem.
I will say that I appreciated how Emezi depicted the complexity of finding your identity in a stifled, reductive community especially when you’re in the early days of defining your queerdom. The bits of found family we got were great. I loved how they closed ranks for the protection of Vivek’s image.
It took me a long time to get a grip on how I felt about this book. I knew I didn’t like it back when I finished it. After a few months I no longer feel such visceral displeasure when I think about it. I wouldn’t recommend it, but I’m not aggressive about it. If you like literary fiction and none of what I detailed above is unappealing to you then you have my blessing to go for it.
*Note: Vivek used he/she pronouns, but only she pronouns when operating as Nnemdi - the name Vivek picked to reflect the change from one to the other. Vivek is queer, but it can only be assumed Vivek is trans mtf as it is never definitively verified what Vivek's gender identity was. I'm going to use he as it seems to be the most apt pronoun given how Vivek never confirmed one way or the other what was preferred nor seemed particularly interested in clarifying one way or the other when presented the opportunity.*
The Death of Vivek Oji was super popular on BookTwitter. I got it back when I still had Book of the Month so I think it was late last year, maybe early this year? It's not important enough for me to look it up. I'm merely setting the stage: I had this book on my radar for quite a while before reading it. Boy, was it a ride.
If I had to describe this book in one word it'd be messy.
If you ever read a lot of my reviews you’ll see a few of the same grievances pop up - I’m fairly consistent when it comes to what I dislike. One of my biggest is being misled by the synopsis.
From the synopsis you're led to believe this is about Vivek Oji - a life snuffed out too soon after years spent in emotional upheaval. Except that's not true. The book actually is a look at the impact of a single person and that person happens to be Vivek Oji.
Told through multiple points of view, The Death of Vivek Oji explores the lives of Vivek’s loved ones in moments in the years predating his death and the fallout afterwards. Vivek chimes in to offer an opinion on certain events, however, it is only in brusque intervals that add nothing to the story due to their brevity. Out of 24 chapters, Vivek only has 7 chapters. On its face that seems like a lot until you realize that it’s only 18 pages out of 245.
The result is that Vivek largely felt like a plot device rather than a fully realized character. You can make the argument that Vivek's lack of presence adds to the tragedy of Vivek's life. I'd counter, that if the purpose was to highlight the absurdity of trans or gender nonconforming individuals' stories being dictated by those around them due to the flagrant anti-trans rhetoric embedded in society Emezi should not have included Vivek's POV chapters at all as the inclusion distracted from the ultimate goal.
Rather than offer insight into Vivek’s perspective on certain key events, it serves as an unwelcome interruption as Vivek’s commentary is mostly generalized abstract ruminations. Even if I’m incorrect about Emezi’s intentions I still maintain my position because I don’t feel like these interludes added enough to the story to justify their incorporation either way.
This issue is not limited to Vivek. While there are several different points of view, this story is fundamentally Vivek’s cousin Osita’s above all else as his is the only one that actually meaningfully contributed to Vivek’s personal journey. The others had impact for sure - outside of a random bystander who had one chapter that had zero value whatsoever - but it wasn't anything I felt warranted the explicit deep dives into their psyches. I want to point out I’m arguing purely on principle here as I did not even find Osita all that compelling. Regardless of my disinterest in him, using Osita as the focal point would have been better because it would have focused the story more and provided much needed direction. Additionally, it would have introduced an opportunity to understand Vivek on a more intimate level given how close Osita was to him.
I didn't care that much about anyone other than Vivek's mother Kavita. Her grief was really well explored. Her pursuit of justice for Vivek, as inconsequential it would be in the grand scheme of things, was the most interesting part of the book. She made mistakes. She had her flaws. She didn’t understand Vivek nearly as much as he deserved. Yet, her love for him was evident at every turn. She was doing the best she could with the information she had. It doesn’t absolve her in the least, however, her desperation for any possible explanation for such a senseless, inexplicable act of cruelty at the expense of every facet of her life was heartbreaking. It’s tough to lose a child. It’s tougher to realize after the fact that the child you lost was only a facade, I thought her journey to be painfully realistic.
Outside of Kavita, everyone else was very nebulous and ill-defined. This is not a very dialogue laden book. A majority takes place purely in introspective reminiscence. The characters suffered for it as it was impossible to see this group of people as close to each other or Vivek when there were so few examples as to the aforementioned closeness. I'm supposed to feel the loss acutely from these people but Emezi mostly tells me they are reeling. I rarely felt genuinely immersed in their heartache. The story usually chooses to gloss over the transitional, foundational events that bridge the gap between the bigger happenings. Not being privy to many of their interactions severely limits the scope of the story. It feels as if the characters exist purely as pawns to act out the specific story beats, not as real people in a three dimensional world.
Incest is a major part of the story. Like I mentioned before this book was super popular in online book circles. Yet, absolutely no one in the months I saw this book recommended ever brought up how the most integral romance involves first cousins engaging in a romantic relationship. There is even a somewhat graphic sex scene.
I wanted to know the thought process behind it so I went digging. I found a video where author Rivers Solomon interviews Akwaeke Emezi in which it's discussed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1m-2SavdS8 - skip to the 30 minute mark
Emezi’s reasoning is multifaceted. First they found the idea of it titillating. As a dabbler in dark romance I have no room to judge the inclination to write perversion. It can be liberating or just plain fun. They also wanted to take a look at a taboo that more people participate in than will admit and the intersectionality of it all. The reaction to incest is a sociocultural one - in many communities it is not uncommon to marry let alone sexually experiment with a relative. Lastly, they wanted to push the reader to reconsider their potentially narrow, limited perspective on morality. Removed from a Eurocentric, white, cisgender framework what exactly is so wrong about incest? If the two people are not going to have biological children, if the two people were the same age when it started so there is no risk of grooming, if the two people were consenting adults, then what is the harm? Where does that disgust come from? As Emezi states,
“It’s not about the story. It’s about the reaction within the person whose receiving the story. I’m interested in the way that writing deviance challenges peoples’ experience of themselves in terms of what they would have thought was okay, what it brings up for people”
In this regard, they certainly succeeded. Just take a look at some of the other reviews and it’s obvious that something was ignited by the use of this plot point. And their entire rationalization for it is exactly why I try to read outside of my comfort zone or beyond my own experiences - I want to be provoked mentally, spiritually, academically, you name it.
Now that I’ve established its objective merit I can freely admit that it still grossed me out. I understand what Emezi was going for. It did make me think about how my response to some things is learned not intrinsic. I could see all the little decisions that led to the two finding solace in one another. It makes sense from a narrative point of view. I just can not jive with it either way.
The fact that no one seemed to think it worth a trigger warning is bizarre. I don’t think anyone is somehow intellectually superior for being able to compartmentalize their emotional reaction and their critical analysis. I was able to assess accordingly and it still squicked me out. So people seemingly choosing to actively disregard this basic consideration is so insensitive to me. It is not a sign of immaturity or a lack of comprehension. It is only natural that the average person will find the incest off-putting - social conditioning or not. Plus not everything that is conditioned necessarily needs to be re-examined or corrected.
All of this is to say whatever you feel, whether that be revulsion or immediate acceptance, is valid. The entire point is technically to feel anything.
Not being behind the central relationship does unfortunately mean a significant chunk will inherently not appeal to you and there will be an obstacle to empathy for the characters. I’m not saying you won’t or can’t feel bad or connect to the circumstances presented. I am saying that depending on how averse you are, your enjoyment will undoubtedly be affected as it obviously puts a different spin on the book as a whole.
On a related note, I also think that there is a conversation to be had about how this unintentionally re-inforces the damaging misconception about homosexuality being deviant behavior. I can see why in these exact parameters how Osita and Vivek were drawn to one another, but the choice to depict this dynamic does not exist inside a vacuum. If the book were better written I would be inclined to ignore this as the overall point would shine through enough that this aspect would not matter or it would be woven into the other themes of the story.
As it stands, I largely feel that Emezi could have saved the incest for a different book entirely where that is the primary and/or only focus rather than trying to make it work in this one where it has the opportunity to be misconstrued due to the attention needing to be divided.
The realization of what happened to Vivek is supposed to be shocking. I found it to be a fairly predictable outcome. I did not care about one characters’ involvement because I cared so little about the characters in general. The non-linear format was a hindrance as it made it difficult to stay on track - though admittedly this is more a personal problem.
I will say that I appreciated how Emezi depicted the complexity of finding your identity in a stifled, reductive community especially when you’re in the early days of defining your queerdom. The bits of found family we got were great. I loved how they closed ranks for the protection of Vivek’s image.
It took me a long time to get a grip on how I felt about this book. I knew I didn’t like it back when I finished it. After a few months I no longer feel such visceral displeasure when I think about it. I wouldn’t recommend it, but I’m not aggressive about it. If you like literary fiction and none of what I detailed above is unappealing to you then you have my blessing to go for it.
akmclatchie's review against another edition
4.0
extremely beautiful and emotional. a gripping sense of mystery that keeps you reading with gorgeous + thought-provoking prose to entertain you along the way. loved. wish I could’ve read it in one sitting.
eri_cat93's review against another edition
5.0
A beautiful, heartbreaking story about a Nigerian family dealing with love, loss, friendship, & understanding themselves. This story was engaging & poignant & had me hooked til the very end. Highly highly recommend
augustasmit's review against another edition
5.0
This is the best book I have ever read. I have no words other than just read it. And then read it again. I know I will.
loewinzahn's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
bansea23's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75