Reviews tagging 'Lesbophobia'

The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi

22 reviews

morganperks's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious 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

5.0

did not appreciate the emotions this book made me feel. I was crying by the end (when am I not tho?)

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Sexual violence, Outing, Misogyny, Xenophobia, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Miscarriage, Medical content, Self harm, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Suicide, Torture, Alcoholism, Ableism, Panic attacks/disorders, Confinement, Alcohol, Dysphoria, Lesbophobia, War, Death of parent, Transphobia, Incest, Mental illness, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Infertility, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Child abuse, Bullying, Toxic friendship, Infidelity, Religious bigotry, Deadnaming, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Murder, and Sexism

Moderate: Racism

Minor: Blood and Drug use

nytephoenyx's review against another edition

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

The Death of Vivek Oji is a heartbreaking book. It was also the perfect book to read through Transgender Awareness Week and Remembrance Day. It's far too easy to dismiss the transphobia that runs rampant in the world. Vivek/Nnemdi's story - mirroring parts of Akwaeke Emezi's experience - tells of the painful stages of discovery of one's identity in a world that would deny her the truth of her identity and would kill her for it.

There's a single sticking point though. Most this book is wonderful, but there's some strong, graphic, repeated, unopposed incest. If not for that, I'd give the book five stars.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Death, Incest, Alcohol, and Deadnaming

Moderate: Transphobia, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, and Homophobia

Minor: Animal death, Hate crime, and Murder

samdalefox's review against another edition

emotional reflective 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? No

4.5

I think it's much better to go into this book without knowing too much. The story unfolds relatively evenly and the developments and realisations are more powerful if you don't know them beforehand. The absolute minimum information you need to know is that this is a book about frienship, family, and Queerness in southeastern Nigeria. It is heartbreaking in a sad and a happy way. I definitely recommend reading it. I particuarly enjoyed listening as an audiobook due to the excellent performances and accents. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Sexual content, Sexual assault, Grief, Rape, Sexism, Domestic abuse, Biphobia, Death, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Transphobia, Deadnaming, Misogyny, Lesbophobia, and Sexual harassment

Describes absence seizures or dissociative fugue states and the difficulties accompanying them.

summerb's review against another edition

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? It's complicated

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Dysphoria, Sexual content, Child death, Death, Grief, Incest, and Infidelity

Moderate: Alcohol, Infidelity, Biphobia, Body shaming, Child death, Cursing, Dysphoria, Eating disorder, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Hate crime, Homophobia, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Lesbophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexual content, and Transphobia

Minor: Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Outing, Sexual harassment, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Blood, Cursing, Deadnaming, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Hate crime, Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Vomit

elmasbooks's review against another edition

challenging emotional 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? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia, Homophobia, Religious bigotry, Deadnaming, Blood, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Violence, and Grief

Minor: Physical abuse, Murder, Sexual assault, Outing, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, Hate crime, Lesbophobia, Violence, Sexual violence, and Rape

tahsintries's review against another edition

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Blood, Homophobia, Outing, Sexual content, Transphobia, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Lesbophobia

amandalorianxo's review against another edition

emotional sad tense slow-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

3.5

This was such a sad, heartbreaking story and I wish Vivek Nnemdi had been able to live their truth to the fullest. Yet, the author showed us how unsafe it still is for those that want to live their truth that it's not possible. It's definitely a potent piece that I listened to half on audio and half with a book in front of me. I definitely wanted more of VN and their story, I think there might have been too many people that were tied into the story and it lost some of the strength that was there in the first half of the novel. If we had fewer points of view or maybe just fewer characters but more Vivek possibly as the omniscient narrator, that would have assisted in possibly strengthening the novel.

The in**** plotline was not something I was one hundred percent comfortable with.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Incest, Murder, Transphobia, Death, Homophobia, and Body horror

Minor: Sexual assault, Lesbophobia, and Deadnaming

anniereads221's review against another edition

challenging dark 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? Yes

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Transphobia, Sexual content, Religious bigotry, Physical abuse, Lesbophobia, Incest, Homophobia, Hate crime, Grief, Rape, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, and Death

merin_aran's review against another edition

challenging 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? Yes

5.0

Stunning. Subperb. Sublime. This books is everything! Emezi is an incredibly gifted author and crafts a beautiful story full of depth and complexity. Despite knowing beforehand that Vivek dies (it's in the title) the reader is still left guessing and not knowing exactly what happens at the end. As a queer trans person myself this story hit me hard, it's so heartbreaking and I was left sobbing at the end. The representation of complex queer black characters is so important and Emezi executed it to perfection. One of my all-time favourite books. I will never stop recommending it!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Homophobia, Incest, Infertility, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, Mental illness, Outing, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, and Transphobia

Minor: Ableism, Animal death, Blood, Bullying, and Domestic abuse

lilcoppertop's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Biphobia, Blood, Body shaming, Deadnaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Hate crime, Homophobia, Incest, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Outing, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Torture, Toxic relationship, and Transphobia