The Death of Vivek Oji

I was drawn in by the first line, and stayed for the immersive and impactful story woven by a masterful storyteller. This book not only manages to view every character with deep empathy and compassion, but also manages to hold the reader's attention throughout moments when they may otherwise look away. This book is for anyone who wants a compact, concentrated, and sharp reading experience.

I left this book for last because it is, perhaps, the heaviest and most gut-wrenching. In this book, Emezi crafts an exceptional paranormal story showing the true-life difficulties (that is the life-threatening and openly hostile discrimination) faced by LGBT+ people in Nigeria. A fact that’s sadly true in many other African countries too. This book has so many layers, every scene dripping with nuance and a clear tenderness for the subject matter. It would have been easy for this story to remain steeped in tragedy, but Emezi manages to elevate their characters and narrative above that, providing an ultimately heartwarming… show more.