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mayagbailey's review against another edition
4.0
akwaeke emezi has done it again!! once i got past the incest part this book was so heartbreaking and beautiful and so so so well written omg - i feel like i don’t have the right words to explain my feelings but absolutely would recommend this 4.5 ⭐️
carlanovata's review against another edition
4.0
4.5, there’s only one little detail stopping me from giving it a 5/5 stars. Beautifully written, beautiful characters, truly a masterpiece for me
minnietimperley's review against another edition
emotional
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
4.0
readingwithathena's review against another edition
4.0
3.5
I'm wavering on how to rate this (round up or round down? Round up, for now, I think). There's so much beauty and sorrow in this prose; from the very first page, I was hooked. However, Vivek didn't feel as vivid as I expected. We learn about him almost exclusively through grief-clouded memories. I wanted to hear more from his perspective. At times it felt like we heard from everyone BUT Vivek, and that really influenced how I felt about the book as a whole.
I'm wavering on how to rate this (round up or round down? Round up, for now, I think). There's so much beauty and sorrow in this prose; from the very first page, I was hooked. However, Vivek didn't feel as vivid as I expected. We learn about him almost exclusively through grief-clouded memories. I wanted to hear more from his perspective. At times it felt like we heard from everyone BUT Vivek, and that really influenced how I felt about the book as a whole.
tlmcdermott's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I just love everything by this author. Their characters always stick with me and these were no different.
jentidders's review against another edition
5.0
Confession, I really didn't get on with Emezi's Freshwater and ended up DNFing it, but I was really intrigued by the sound of their new novel, even if a little trepidatious.
Then I saw a fellow Bookstagrammer say they were already certain it would be in their top 10 books of the year which was all the convincing I needed to pick it up, and I'm glad I did. WOW. This is a beautiful, heartbreaking and important book.
Vivek Oji's body is found on the porch of their family house, breaking the hearts of their mother and father - but did they really know their child?
Born at the moment their grandmother died and marked with the same scar, Vivek is assigned male, but in adolescence begins experiencing blackout dissociations, where they feel the spirit of another person.
Told in alternate third- or first-person chapters from different perspectives, we gradually learn about the gentle and mysterious Vivek and those who loved them, including their closest friends and their cousin, Osita.
Through beautiful heartfelt prose, Emezi highlights the plight of LGBT persons in Nigeria, which does not allow or recognise LGBT rights and where the punishment for same-sex activity is often imprisonment or death by stoning. Nonetheless, they emphasise that both gender and sexuality are fluid, and that love is love.
As I read through the weaving mystery and got closer to the end, even though the eventual conclusion is inevitable, I could feel my heart hurting and my eyes welling up. Be warned this is not an easy read in terms of homophobia, transphobia and violence (and the sex scenes are pretty graphic so this probably isn’t one for YAs).
.
This is a stunning read, which will no doubt cement Emezi as an author to watch out for.
Then I saw a fellow Bookstagrammer say they were already certain it would be in their top 10 books of the year which was all the convincing I needed to pick it up, and I'm glad I did. WOW. This is a beautiful, heartbreaking and important book.
Vivek Oji's body is found on the porch of their family house, breaking the hearts of their mother and father - but did they really know their child?
Born at the moment their grandmother died and marked with the same scar, Vivek is assigned male, but in adolescence begins experiencing blackout dissociations, where they feel the spirit of another person.
Told in alternate third- or first-person chapters from different perspectives, we gradually learn about the gentle and mysterious Vivek and those who loved them, including their closest friends and their cousin, Osita.
Through beautiful heartfelt prose, Emezi highlights the plight of LGBT persons in Nigeria, which does not allow or recognise LGBT rights and where the punishment for same-sex activity is often imprisonment or death by stoning. Nonetheless, they emphasise that both gender and sexuality are fluid, and that love is love.
As I read through the weaving mystery and got closer to the end, even though the eventual conclusion is inevitable, I could feel my heart hurting and my eyes welling up. Be warned this is not an easy read in terms of homophobia, transphobia and violence (and the sex scenes are pretty graphic so this probably isn’t one for YAs).
.
This is a stunning read, which will no doubt cement Emezi as an author to watch out for.
elmkov's review against another edition
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? It's complicated
5.0
alyftwxxx's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
4.75