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tina94's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Ableism, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Hate crime, Homophobia, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual content, and Transphobia
theengineerisreading's review against another edition
- 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
I wish I can write a decent review that will give justice like how Akwaeki Emezi wrote this book.
The Death of Vivek Oji is Talk Bookish to Me's February admins' pick and I can't thank them enough for choosing this book because this one saved me from a possible slump.
I'm familiar when this one released last year and became a BOTM title but I haven't heard enough buzz about it, unlike Akwaeki's debut, Freshwater, which has been the talk of the town for months. Not until I intentionally browsed the title in Goodreads and saw so many amazing reviews about the book.
As someone who easily gets influenced by others opinion (lol) this made me decide to try and start the audiobook and see why this is so highly-rated.
I guess I was overwhelmed with the ending but this book is definitely a poetry translated into crime fiction. I love how the mystery and suspense keeps on until the very last pages of the book without sacrificing the balance between the social commentary (about Nigeria and LGBTQ+) and other sub-plots (family drama, friendship, mental health, grief.)
Though the main premise of the book revolved on the mystery of Vivek Oji, the only son of Chika and Kavita, the revelation and pieces of the book left me astounded with how forms of love vary from one person to another.
Content warning: Death, Grief, Homophobia, Incest, Sexual Abuse, Riot, Blood
Overall, this book sealed the deal and delivered an unforgettable story which made me think about how are we progressing as a society.
RATING: 4.5stars
Graphic: Homophobia and Incest
Moderate: Blood, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Racism, Sexual assault, and Violence
skudiklier's review
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Animal death, Animal cruelty, Biphobia, Blood, Xenophobia, Violence, Vomit, Transphobia, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Physical abuse, Murder, Misogyny, Islamophobia, Infidelity, Infertility, Incest, Homophobia, Hate crime, Grief, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Death, Deadnaming, and Bullying
Moderate: Abortion, Body horror, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Murder, Eating disorder, Cursing, and Rape
Minor: Ableism
mxjx's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Death, Grief, Hate crime, Incest, Murder, and Transphobia
ellekhupe's review
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Death and Grief
Moderate: Incest, Infidelity, Religious bigotry, Transphobia, and Violence
Minor: Hate crime and Homophobia
theresenatalie's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Blood, Death, Grief, and Hate crime
Moderate: Incest
pameana's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Incest and Hate crime
adriennne's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Death, Grief, and Mental illness
Moderate: Hate crime and Homophobia
gemmagetson's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Death, Grief, Hate crime, Homophobia, Incest, and Transphobia
Moderate: Blood, Alcoholism, and Religious bigotry
lennie_reads's review
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I read Pet earlier this year and was utterly amazed so I knew when I saw this on NetGalley I had to request it. And now after reading this I know I need to read everything Emezi has ever or will ever write.
Once I started this I ended up reading it in one sitting; it's addictive. It's also visceral, gritty, raw, dark, uncomfortable, extremely upsetting and so so powerful.
It's hard to explain this book without giving away spoilers but the basic premise is that Vivek's body is found by his mother after he has been left on his doorstep wrapped in material.
From here we travel back in time to before Vivek's parents have met and the story builds from there.
I guess you would probably class this book as a mystery but not necessarily 'what happened to Vivek?' but 'who was Vivek and why did this happen?'.
We have different POVs from family members & friends, who build the story around Vivek, whilst also delving into their changing attitudes towards each other and life itself. I feel that Emezi is perfectly happy letting you make your own mind up about the characters and all of them are delightfully and distressingly complex. Also, for one reason or another, most of them have been pushed to the extreme - religious bigotry, internalised homophobia, over protectiveness, stigma against mental illness and more.
There is a huge focus on relationships in this book and it's a testament to Emezi's skills that you can route for a couple when there are a lot of complicated issues surrounding them.
This book delves into taboos, the life of niger-wives, found family vs blood family, embracing who you are and how devastatingly cruel life can be.
CW: Rape, incest, Mental illness, Transphobia, homophobia, death, religious extremism, physical abuse, violence, infidelity, death, rape, sexual assualt, sexual favours, hate crime, grief, domestic abuse, deadnaming
Graphic: Biphobia, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Grief, Hate crime, Homophobia, Incest, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, and Transphobia