Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi

17 reviews

keeshabroad's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I really wanted to enjoy this book but I couldn't. I kept reading and hoping I'd find out more about particular characters and then I just didn't. Characters came and went and I felt like I barely knew them. 

The story is definitely an important one and I learnt a lot about life in Nigeria for queer individuals but I just couldn't get into the story.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Homophobia, Incest, Sexual assault, and Grief

gizelleinak's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Found this book at a free little library and grabbed based on the beautiful cover and without knowing anything about it. A heartbreaking story that made me wish for a more hopeful ending. Still, I would definitely recommend it. Beautifully written.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Incest, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Blood

sydreading's review against another edition

emotional inspiring sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

i really love akwaeke’s writing, this is my third book of theirs and i thoroughly enjoyed how it was formatted. the back and forth perspectives were drawn together well, but some contents of the book definitely caught me off guard in weird ways

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Transphobia

ingridaleida's review against another edition

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Incest, Blood, and Grief

Moderate: Homophobia, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Transphobia, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Infertility, and Rape

destinied's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

This is easily one of the most impactful books I’ve read in the last several months. Maybe the whole year. A story of identity, repression, family, grief, and all of the complexities of being human while navigating these themes, The Death of Vivek Oji is about more than just physical death. It is also about the death of how we might view people based on our expectations, and the beautiful juxtaposition against the birth of the person as they are.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Domestic abuse, Transphobia, and Violence

Moderate: Biphobia, Child abuse, Deadnaming, and Blood

Minor: Eating disorder, Mental illness, Torture, and Vomit

coolfoolmoon's review against another edition

emotional reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Ever since this book came out all I've heard is people wahwahwah about the incest when there is a MUCH LARGER, MORE IMPORTANT THEME AND PLOT POINT to the story. AND!!! Emezi says the two books that inspired this one in the acknowledgements!!! They did the work for you and people still didn't get it!!!! You people make me sick. You lack media literacy, reading comprehension, AND critical thinking skills.

Akwaeke Emezi, the person that you are. You've done it yet again. I can't wait to read all their books. They are truly amazing.

In my notes I put Vivek was her grandma reincarnated. The grandma the baby. This may have been intentional but if it's not I'm saying it as fact!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal death, Biphobia, Deadnaming, Gore, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Transphobia, Violence, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, Outing, Gaslighting, Colonisation, and Dysphoria

Minor: Confinement, Hate crime, Miscarriage, Vomit, Murder, and Abandonment

tea_kettle's review against another edition

challenging dark sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

amazing story, beautifully written, and one i would read again despite the heartbreak. However, the mildly (and later very graphically) incestuous themes were pretty uncomfortable to get through, and i don’t think they necessarily needed to be that way. Still, it was a great story, and i’m glad it was told, especially by a writer so skilled. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Homophobia, Incest, Sexual content, Transphobia, Grief, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Child abuse, Infertility, Rape, Sexual assault, Vomit, Pregnancy, and Deportation

halfacenturyreader's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Homophobia, and Transphobia

Moderate: Infidelity

sha's review against another edition

challenging emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Incest, Physical abuse, Violence, and Blood

directorpurry's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Biphobia, Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Transphobia, Blood, Grief, Lesbophobia, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Physical abuse, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Xenophobia and Fire/Fire injury