Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi

26 reviews

marywahlmeierbracciano's review against another edition

challenging emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The Death of Vivek Oji feels like an extended meditation on queerness and transness.  In a country like Nigeria, where these identities are criminalized, it’s especially true for trans people that only they know what is best for them, though this will not stop well-meaning friends and family.  Emezi’s heartbreaking parable invites readers to imagine a world in which a trans person living freely is not “dancing with death.”  A world in which trans people are recognized as otherworldly gifts.  Born on the anniversary of his grandmother’s death, Vivek Oji was destined to be different

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity and Grief

Moderate: Animal death, Death, Homophobia, Infertility, Sexual content, Transphobia, Blood, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Sexual violence, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail

lovememore_'s review against another edition

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Incest, and Transphobia

Moderate: Sexual violence

quidproqueer's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad fast-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Incest, and Sexual content

Moderate: Homophobia, Infidelity, Transphobia, and Blood

Minor: Infertility, Sexual violence, and Violence

frankieclc's review against another edition

5.0

I think the fact I’ve rated this 5/5 considering how much I did not enjoy reading about some of the context shows how well this book is written

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Transphobia, and Grief

Moderate: Rape, Blood, and Dysphoria

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

passportsandpaperbacks's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Incest, Transphobia, and Violence

Moderate: Homophobia and Sexual violence

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

sonyareadsbooks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Transphobia, and Violence

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Vomit, and Religious bigotry

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

savvylit's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.0

Vivek's gender fluidity is the point around which this novel's narrative pivots. Growing up in small-town Nigeria, Vivek dissociates from their assigned gender from a young age. Vivek's depression and  gender expression is constantly misinterpreted by family members as a mysterious illness. As the novel progresses, Emezi explores the heartbreaking ways that misunderstandings can damage relationships and life itself.

Nobody else writes the way Akwaeke Emezi does. In each of their books, their empathetic portrayal of the joys and pain of life feels like an unveiling of universal truths. The Death of Vivek Oji is no exception to this pattern in their work. Vivek, Osita, and their loved ones are all fully-fleshed, fully-flawed characters. True to life, their suffering often comes from ignorance and repressed feelings. 

I would have rated this five stars if not for the incest. I just could not understand why the primary relationship in this story had to be incestual. Not only are Vivek and Osita cousins but - as they often note themselves - they were raised as brothers. Couldn't we have been given a powerful romance without it happening with a blood relative? Maybe I'm being a prude but the inclusion of incest often took me out of an otherwise incredibly engaging story.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Deadnaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Incest, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Blood, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Homophobia and Fire/Fire injury