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

challenging emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
I have complicated feelings about this book, sadly. Do I think the writing was as harrowing and gripping as the hyper suggests? Yes. It tackled a wide range of themes, from grief and loss, identity, abuse, cultural and social differences, etc. That is what initially drew me to the story. But I would be dishonest if I did not say some of what was written was unsettling to me - specifically the incest. It would be one thing if the book clearly unpacked the problems with this, but to me, the story took a passive, unchallenging approach. I could not come to terms with how it was handled. 

I also struggled with some sections of the story where we got points of view from characters who ultimately had little to do with the larger story. It ended up being unnecessary filler and distracted me from the narrative. So I would also say the pacing did not always work for me. 

But the story continues to sit with me, despite some of the jarring aspects. This is making it difficult for me to give a star rating, so I won't. 
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