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A review by bookdragon217
You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
relaxing
tense
fast-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
"What did survival mean? Madness, certainly. Guilt, but she didn't want to lean into that. It leaned into you hard enough already, it didn't need encouragement."
You Made a Fool of Death With Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi blew me a way. The writing was raw and poetic. The story was immersive and captivating. The characters were complex and realistic.
Feyi, is a beautiful disaster, as we all are when we are trying to navigate deep rooted trauma and grief and find our way back to ourselves first. Feyi embodies the ways that Black women often have to make themselves numb, shrink themselves and make their voices smaller because they can't trust that someone will be able to bear their burdens and support them with no strings attached. She was honest and unapologetically herself even on the days when she struggled to simply breathe and was plagued with nightmares. I hear people call her messy but I think she was brave and bold in the ways that she chose herself and allowed herself to be vulnerable. She used her voice even when certain men in her life weren't listening. She was afraid and haunted by her past but never settled for what society expected her to do. She was transparent and leaned on her support system. She took accountability the whole time and tackled things directly with an unwavering faith in herself. Although some say her choices were unconventional, no one ever stigmatizes men for the same behavior done in dishonest ways.
Joy was the dream best friend and personifies genuine love and unconditional support. I saw who Nasir was long before he showed his true colors. Women always have to experience violence because men can't handle rejection and the "nice" things they do always have a cost. Emezi knocked this one out of the park with the strong plot and resonating themes of grief, death, different forms of love, art as healing, second chances, true friendship and pushing back on the idea of binaries. Emezi's storytelling is magical and their books are gifts that keep on giving. I highly recommend this one to anyone who is a fan of binge-worthy stories that are realistic and heartfelt.
You Made a Fool of Death With Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi blew me a way. The writing was raw and poetic. The story was immersive and captivating. The characters were complex and realistic.
Feyi, is a beautiful disaster, as we all are when we are trying to navigate deep rooted trauma and grief and find our way back to ourselves first. Feyi embodies the ways that Black women often have to make themselves numb, shrink themselves and make their voices smaller because they can't trust that someone will be able to bear their burdens and support them with no strings attached. She was honest and unapologetically herself even on the days when she struggled to simply breathe and was plagued with nightmares. I hear people call her messy but I think she was brave and bold in the ways that she chose herself and allowed herself to be vulnerable. She used her voice even when certain men in her life weren't listening. She was afraid and haunted by her past but never settled for what society expected her to do. She was transparent and leaned on her support system. She took accountability the whole time and tackled things directly with an unwavering faith in herself. Although some say her choices were unconventional, no one ever stigmatizes men for the same behavior done in dishonest ways.
Joy was the dream best friend and personifies genuine love and unconditional support. I saw who Nasir was long before he showed his true colors. Women always have to experience violence because men can't handle rejection and the "nice" things they do always have a cost. Emezi knocked this one out of the park with the strong plot and resonating themes of grief, death, different forms of love, art as healing, second chances, true friendship and pushing back on the idea of binaries. Emezi's storytelling is magical and their books are gifts that keep on giving. I highly recommend this one to anyone who is a fan of binge-worthy stories that are realistic and heartfelt.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief and Death
Minor: Emotional abuse, Child death, and Car accident