Reviews tagging 'Transphobia'

The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi

512 reviews

ingridaleida's review against another edition

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Incest, Blood, and Grief

Moderate: Homophobia, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Transphobia, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Infertility, and Rape

destinied's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful 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? It's complicated

5.0

This is easily one of the most impactful books I’ve read in the last several months. Maybe the whole year. A story of identity, repression, family, grief, and all of the complexities of being human while navigating these themes, The Death of Vivek Oji is about more than just physical death. It is also about the death of how we might view people based on our expectations, and the beautiful juxtaposition against the birth of the person as they are.  

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Domestic abuse, Transphobia, and Violence

Moderate: Biphobia, Child abuse, Deadnaming, and Blood

Minor: Eating disorder, Mental illness, Torture, and Vomit

meghanelizabeth's review

challenging emotional sad slow-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Incest

Moderate: Homophobia and Transphobia

cmklaft's review

emotional 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? Yes

2.25

i don't agree or like how incest was romanticized, this wasn'  necessary. Viveks black outs are never really explained,  i have made assumptions this is due to maybe his reincarnation and being his true self eliminates them,  but they just entirely disappear from the plot. Additionally,  Ebenezer's added story was unnecessary. 

Despite all my complaints,  I did enjoy the story and felt it was well written. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Incest, Sexual content, and Transphobia

Moderate: Infidelity, Mental illness, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

syysnietos's review against another edition

emotional sad

3.0

I didn’t like the insest part, but…

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia

booknerdknits's review against another edition

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Incest, Transphobia, and Religious bigotry

sheetsilicate's review

dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

3.0

would've loved this book a lot more without the graphic incest sex scenes. Not sure why the author tried to normalize their relationship. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest and Transphobia

voidsalts's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Homophobia, Incest, and Transphobia

donyea's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

While this was a well written book in terms of imagery and foreshadowing.  I also thought the progression of understanding Vivek’s identity and his transition was well done.  I loved the commentary on spiritual psychosis. HOWEVER….

there was really no need for the cousin incest to be described to that degree and portrayed as “true love”.  Upon reflection, Osita was repressed and he had an innocent crush on Vivek as a young child, growing up jealous of Vivek’s openness and identity—so his repression and reluctance to live his life freely as a gay man in Nigeria led him to turn to the only other queer male he knew and had a emotional relationship leading him to change the relationship to a physical one made sense.  However, that does not mean we have to pretend like incest is true love lol or have to describe the physicality to such a degree. Additionally, there were a couple plot holes like Vivek’s spells. Lastly, I actually hated the ending. I was hoping that, as the book went between pre- and post-death, Osita would not be in any way connected to Vivek’s death. To me that would have been too predictable. To make matters worse, Nnemdi died in the most ridiculous way possible.

In my opinion there were many unnecessary plot lines that actually had no effect on the plot.  So much went on in that book.  Like too much.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Religious bigotry, and Injury/Injury detail

haley_mil_reads's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Transphobia, and Blood