Reviews tagging 'Injury/Injury detail'

The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi

54 reviews

knhall14's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Sexual content

agnesbebon's review against another edition

5.0

Akwaeke Emezi knows how to break my heart and tell a beautiful story. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Homophobia, Incest, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Violence, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

mschmidt's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

5.0

This short novel is filled with power, connects the moments of these lives in one flowing river. The imperfections within each character are put on display with unrivaled compassion.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Hate crime, Homophobia, Incest, Mental illness, Sexual content, Transphobia, Blood, Grief, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Islamophobia, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

laurareads87's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

The Death of Vivek Oji is the fourth of Emezi’s works that I’ve read, and they never cease to amaze me; in this case, I’ve been left sobbing in some complicated combination of devastation and hope. Knowing based on the title and the first page of the text that Vivek would die, the reader is immersed in Vivek’s world – Vivek’s family and friend relationships especially, and to some extent a broader socio-political context – and circumstances surrounding the death are slowly revealed. Emezi’s character development is absolutely impeccable; I felt mother Kavita’s grief in my bones and Ossita’s heartbreak with every fibre of myself. Nothing I could possibly write in a review will capture how I feel about this book. 

My content warnings contain something that could be considered a spoiler; I've chosen to put them here.

Content warnings: violence, death, injury detail, homophobia, transphobia, consensual sexual relationship between cousins

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Homophobia, Transphobia, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail

morganperks's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

did not appreciate the emotions this book made me feel. I was crying by the end (when am I not tho?)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Deadnaming, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Incest, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Xenophobia, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Dysphoria, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Racism

Minor: Drug use and Blood

nytephoenyx's review against another edition

reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

The Death of Vivek Oji is a heartbreaking book. It was also the perfect book to read through Transgender Awareness Week and Remembrance Day. It's far too easy to dismiss the transphobia that runs rampant in the world. Vivek/Nnemdi's story - mirroring parts of Akwaeke Emezi's experience - tells of the painful stages of discovery of one's identity in a world that would deny her the truth of her identity and would kill her for it.

There's a single sticking point though. Most this book is wonderful, but there's some strong, graphic, repeated, unopposed incest. If not for that, I'd give the book five stars.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Deadnaming, Death, Incest, Blood, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Homophobia, Infidelity, Transphobia, and Lesbophobia

Minor: Animal death, Hate crime, and Murder

samdalefox's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-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? No

4.5

I think it's much better to go into this book without knowing too much. The story unfolds relatively evenly and the developments and realisations are more powerful if you don't know them beforehand. The absolute minimum information you need to know is that this is a book about frienship, family, and Queerness in southeastern Nigeria. It is heartbreaking in a sad and a happy way. I definitely recommend reading it. I particuarly enjoyed listening as an audiobook due to the excellent performances and accents. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Biphobia, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Transphobia, Grief, Lesbophobia, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Describes absence seizures or dissociative fugue states and the difficulties accompanying them.

sydapel's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Big trigger warning for incest, but I still do encourage you to read this because I think the book is worth your interaction, if that subject is something you can handle. 

Something I really admire about Emezi's work is their approach to the central relationships in their work. Never conventional (and in this case illegal), but wholly complex and layered and specific to the culture of the characters. This book is also a tragic exploration of gender identity in a society and culture that is actively hostile towards gender queer people. However, the violence takes a backseat to the sometimes fraught ways in we protect each other in the name of love.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Incest, and Grief

Moderate: Homophobia, Infidelity, Transphobia, Violence, Religious bigotry, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Domestic abuse

garynoplastie's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Incest, Infidelity, Misogyny, Violence, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Homophobia, Racism, Sexual content, and Dysphoria

Minor: Animal death

marisa_n's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Deadnaming, Death, Gore, Incest, Mental illness, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Bullying, Incest, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Outing