Reviews tagging 'Child death'

The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi

71 reviews

al_owl's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional sad fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Homophobia, Incest, Infidelity, Sexual content, Transphobia, Blood, and Grief

allapaz's review against another edition

4.25

owwwwww

akwaeke emezi is a FORCE to be reckoned with. some of the most beautiful, tender, transportive prose I've ever read, what an exploration of identity and gender and expression and secrets and violence, ugh

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Animal death

stephmcoakley's review against another edition

challenging dark 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? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Incest, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Outing, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

othersociologist's review against another edition

sad slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest

Moderate: Child death, Infidelity, and Transphobia

kerrygetsliterary's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad fast-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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Biphobia, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Incest, Infidelity, Sexism, Sexual content, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, and Grief

scifi_rat's review against another edition

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Grief, and Death of parent

cofstars's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad slow-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, and Homophobia

Moderate: Sexual assault, Transphobia, and Violence

Minor: Death of parent and Fire/Fire injury

taratearex's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

 This was beautiful, moving, and heartbreaking. I love Emezi's prose and storytelling so much, it is just so rich, vivid, and innovative.

I loved how this book was sort of told backwards as you get what happened in the beginning (and in the title) and then jump around in time getting vignettes and snapshots of this family's life in Nigeria. As the story unfolds we learn more and more about Vivek and every moment with Vivek felt too brief, which is even more heartbreaking as you know how his story ends, and the why just pushes the story forward.

As much as I liked all the different characters and perspectives, I did find it a bit hard to follow, this is often how I am with a lot of characters/shifting POV though, and I just kept wanting more of Vivek's story- Emezi just created such a dynamic character that shines though so strongly even through brief moments. I have to say I did struggle with the fact that there is a relationship between cousins here, I can appreciate the story as it is, but it did sort of keep me at arms length with the emotional connection to them. Overall, it's a stunning and memorable book. The audiobook is really good.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Death, Homophobia, Incest, Infidelity, Sexual content, Transphobia, Grief, and Religious bigotry

henriettaenam's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Child death, Hate crime, Homophobia, Incest, Violence, Grief, and Dysphoria

Moderate: Biphobia and Fire/Fire injury

smeyer's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Racism, Transphobia, and Violence