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A review by blakethebookeater
The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Oh boy.
I did not like this book.
While I did appreciate the themes in this book, and Vivek's exploration of gender and sexuality...it just fell flat for me.
And actually it was worse than than in some areas, because this book depicts a loving and "beautiful" incestuous relationship between cousins. It was extremely unnecessary and uncomfortable, given there are also MULTIPLE sex scenes between the two young boys.
There were some aspects in the back half that I did enjoy, such as the mystery around how Vivek died, but at the end of the day once the incest started, I just didn't care about any of the characters anymore. I'm sorry, I REALLY wish I could have loved this book as much as everyone else does, but it was just really not for me.
I did not like this book.
While I did appreciate the themes in this book, and Vivek's exploration of gender and sexuality...it just fell flat for me.
And actually it was worse than than in some areas, because this book depicts a loving and "beautiful" incestuous relationship between cousins. It was extremely unnecessary and uncomfortable, given there are also MULTIPLE sex scenes between the two young boys.
There were some aspects in the back half that I did enjoy, such as the mystery around how Vivek died, but at the end of the day once the incest started, I just didn't care about any of the characters anymore. I'm sorry, I REALLY wish I could have loved this book as much as everyone else does, but it was just really not for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Homophobia, Incest, and Transphobia
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Grief, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Deadnaming and Domestic abuse