Reviews tagging 'Islamophobia'

The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi

12 reviews

katewhite77's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense 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

5.0

Wow, just wow 

This book tells the story of a tragedy. The clues in the name, but how did we get here?

Set in Nigeria, it tells the of a family through the eyes of two generations. The story has an interesting structure, and one I can't remember reading before in that we hear from 3 points of view, but  one of these is an omniscient narrator which allows us to zoom in and zoom out  all the time. 

Themes here include how changing social attitudes can manifest within families even in an oppressive society  Gender identity and what children can teach their parents 

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the_abundant_word's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

Was this book a celebration or condemnation? Honestly I’m really not sure. 

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torturedreadersdept's review against another edition

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emotional 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? Yes

4.25


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mschmidt's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

This short novel is filled with power, connects the moments of these lives in one flowing river. The imperfections within each character are put on display with unrivaled compassion.

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sofipitch's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective medium-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? It's complicated

4.75

Not quite sure how I feel about this one yet but Akwaeke Emezi's writing style is SO SO beautiful. They tug on your hearystrings like a poet. I think. the incest had a lot to do with isolation, the isolation of immigrants, the isolation of queer individuals. But the reveal of how Vivek died feels weird. Anticlimatic? I can understand the author not wanting to actually harm the character. Also there was a chapter from the POV of someone who we never see again that felt out of place. But still a beautiful book and worth a read

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taviarz's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Definitely challenged me and had me on the verge of tears. Will definitely stick with me because of all of the uncomfortable feelings it brought up.

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penofpossibilities's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad

4.5


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elliez's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective 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

4.0

What a complex, moving story this was. So much to digest. If you enjoy books that deal with heavy subject matter, grab this book. This author did an amazing job relaying heavy subject matter in both a beautiful and genuine way.

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mmefish's review

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emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

Underwhelming character development, unnecessary “mystery” and unsatisfying ending. 

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paskendus's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I think this book will need a re-read, to pick on more subtle scenes and subjects. Nevertheless it transported me to Nigeria, felt like I was there with the characters making some scenes so impactful I not only cried but gave characters lectures and vented my frustration with them. It felt painfully realistic.

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