A review by bubblegumcreams
The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi

4.0

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4.5 stars

Book Trigger Warnings (highly recommend taking a look at these before reading): BookTriggerWarnings.com and Reviewer-Provided Trigger Warnings with the Storygraph

Initial thoughts after reading:

the only words I have right after finishing this are... that this book was absolutely heartbreaking. Need to gather my thoughts.

Review after processing:

This is a hard-hitting, uncomfortable book that covers the impact of death, and the complex experiences of grieving, gender, and sexuality. Honestly, throughout the beginning and middle of this novel, I felt underwhelmed and mainly stuck with it due to the reviews and the

Spoiler

medical mystery

included in the story. By the end of the novel, I understood why this book was described as heartbreaking; the conclusion absolutely tore me apart. For weeks after finishing this, I cried anytime I tried to think or talk about the novel. I felt the

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medical mystery

was introduced like it was a storyline, but it wasn't addressed in the end. Overall, this book was quite difficult for me to read and not a 5 star read due to the

Spoiler

incestuous relationship between Vivek and his cousin, as well as the scene where his cousin agrees to let Vivek watch him and his girlfriend having sex, without her consent to Vivek watching

. These two aspects of the story made it very uncomfortable, but this was indeed a heartbreaking novel with beautiful elements.