The Death Of Vivek Oji

Author: Akwaeke Emezi

Genre: Fiction

Rating: 3 out of 5

Pages: 248

Date Started: 8 April 2022

Date Finished: 10 April 2022

This was rated one of the best books on all the channels I have been following since 2021. I had to pick up this book to see what was the hype about!

Raised by a distant father and an understanding but overprotective mother, Vivek suffers disorienting blackouts and moments of disconnection between self and surroundings. As adolescence gives way to adulthood, Vivek finds solace in friendships with the warm, boisterous daughters of the Nigerwives, foreign-born women married to Nigerian men.

But Vivek’s closest bond is with Osita, the worldly, high-spirited cousin whose teasing confidence masks a guarded private life. As their relationship deepens—and Osita struggles to understand Vivek’s escalating crisis—the mystery gives way to a heart-stopping act of violence in a moment of exhilarating freedom.

Propulsively readable, and teeming with unforgettable characters, The Death of Vivek Oji is a novel of family and friendship that challenges expectations—a dramatic story of loss and transcendence that will move every reader. (Excerpt from Goodreads)

Of all the characters, I liked Osita the best. He tried to help his cousin in every way possible. He was the one who tried to protect his cousin and his identity.

The book was a good read. The book started off gripping and fizzled out after about 80 pages or so. The style of writing kept me going, although the story lost its grip, the suspense lingered. I really liked the process of how the story was unwrapped, and that Vivek was dead and no one knows what happened! In the end, when it is actually revealed, it is very plain and underwhelming. I would definitely say the book didn't live up to the hype!

Favorite lines from the book:

• It is raining inside me.

• You lost that sister a long time ago; she's gone, just like Ahunna. The only difference is that her body is still walking around.

• I always thought that death would be the heaviest thing of all, but it wasn't. It really wasn't. LIfe was like being dragged through concrete in circles, wet and setting concrete that dried with each rotation of my unwilling body.

• Some people can't see softness without wanting to hurt it.

• If nobody sees you, are you still there?

• Alone is a feeling you can get used to, and it's hard to believe in a better alternative.

• Love and guilt sometimes taste the same, you know.

• What do you do when you’re not allowed to be angry at God?