Reviews tagging 'Dysphoria'

The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi

48 reviews

bookishfaye's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
An absolutely devastating, gut-wrenching, & traumatizing trans story. 

Be warned, it is absolutely riddled with very uncomfortable incest.

TW: *Graphic and on page depictions* Incest, Rape, SA, non-consensual sexual encounters, violent homophobia/transphobia, violent hateful depictions of extreme hateful religion, death, mourning a loved one

*not on page, but mentioned* transphobic lynching 

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_bestie's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-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? It's complicated

4.0

“I was born and I died. I will come back.

Somewhere, you see, in the river of time, I am already alive.”

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mimmuli's review against another edition

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dark 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

4.0

Vivek Oji löytyy kuolleena kotioveltaan. Hänen äitinsä ei kykene jatkamaan elämäänsä ilman vastauksia, vaan alkaa etsimään syytä sille, miksi Vivek kuoli. Lähtee matka läpi Vivekin elämän, jossa saamme tietää, millainen Vivek oli ja mikä johti hänen kuolemaansa.

Kuitenkaan kyseessä ei ole mikään rikostrilleri, älä ymmärrä minua siinä väärin. Kyseessä on erittäin kauniisti kirjoitettu kaunokirjallinen teos, joka käsittelee upeasti mm. identiteettiä, rakkautta ja surua.

Kirja oli tosiaan kirjoitettu erittäin eloisasti ja kuvailevasti, pidin siitä erittäin paljon. Juoni piti otteessaan ihan alusta asti ja kuljetti rakastettavien ja monitahoisten henkilöhahmojen mukana kohti surullista loppua. Kuitenkaan en pysty antamaan kirjalle täyttä viittä tähteä, koska kirjassa esiintyvä insesti häiritsee liikaa.

Kolme syytä miksi saatat pitää kirjasta:
  1. Erittäin kaunis kerronta
  2. Laaja kirjo erilaisia hahmoja, joista monet kuuluvat HLBTQ-yhteisöön
  3. Todella, todella, todella surullinen loppu

Kolme syytä miksi saatat olla pitämättä kirjasta:
  1. Insesti
  2. Asetelma, jossa seksuaali- ja sukupuolivähemmistöjä ei hyväksytä
  3. Todella, todella, todella surullinen loppu

"En enää ole pahoilla mielin. Tällä puolella näkee, miten asiat etenevät. Synnyin ja kuolin. Palaan takaisin.
Olen näet jo elossa jossakin ajan virrassa."

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belladonnashrike's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad

4.75

oh :(

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callme_tippy's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious 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? Yes

2.0

This book is hard to review. I love Akwaeke Emezi's writing style, if there is one thing they can do, it's write. However, I found this one hard to read. 

I so wish that the two main characters were not related. I found the incest storyline very off-putting. It made it impossible for me to feel happy about their "love story", it just feels traumatizing and wrong. 

This story could have been beautiful and heartbreaking had the love interests not been so closely related. I feel that the incest doesn't add anything to the story and actually takes away from it. I would have felt more connected to the characters, and rooted for them had they not been related. It would have been so easy to make Osita a best friend instead of a first cousin. A first cousin that was raised as Viveks brother and that he often calls brother. 

I am baffled why Akwaeke chose this dynamic. It makes me wary to read more of their work. 
I also find it weird to make a trans character that has some type of mental illness going on, also be in an incestuous relationship. Not that it is right, but people already view trans people as taboo and wrong, so I find it strange to add a taboo and strange relationship to the mix. I don't know, something about that feels weird to me. 

We don't get any insight, information, or answer about what what type of mental illness going on with Vivek. She has these black outs that get brought up but not explained which I found frustrating. I wanted to know what that was about and why she has no recollection of these episodes. 

This book was just not it for me. I liked Vivek the most out all the characters, but I really had no favorites, the cast of characters was interesting to say the least. 

1 star for good writing, 1 star for well fleshed out characters. The incest ruined this one for me. I so wish they made the simple change to make them best friends instead of first cousins, I just could not connect. 

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allypricee's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-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

5.0

gave this a 4 initially but can’t stop thinking about it so it’s a 5 for me. cried on the airplane reading it 

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vanesst's review against another edition

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emotional sad fast-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

4.0


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qqjj's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0


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randeerebecca's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad fast-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


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mid_reads_books's review against another edition

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

2.25


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