THE PLOT: ‘The Death of Vivek Oji’ by Akwaeke Emezi is literary fiction about the murder of a non-binary character in Nigeria. Born to an Indian mother and Nigerian father, Vivek Oji’s dead body is left on the family’s doorstep. Unable to believe what’s occurred, the novel goes back and forth in time as his mother attempts to discover the truth of Vivek’s passing. In trying to learn about her son’s death, Vivek’s mother ends up learning about their life and who Vivek truly was.

SUMMARY: Akwaeke Emezi has received a lot of love for their work and now I understand why. The writing in this novel is so fresh, Emezi has a distinctive and original style that exemplifies mastery of craft. The story covers many themes, including gender identity, religious beliefs and cultural superstitions in Nigeria. However, it’s the structure and voice that had me doffing my cap at the author. The transitions between past and present, and between different characters, were seamless. Though it’s under 250pages, this novel packs a wallop in its dissection of loss, identity and gender dysphoria.

GOOD BITS: I’m a reader who loves to guess what’s going to happen and make connections between little hints, so this book appealed to my curious nature. The way the author slowly builds up a picture of who Vivek Oji was and what happened to him via different characters is so compelling. I felt connected to each narrator and their individual struggles, as well as compassionate for Vivek and what he went through.

NOT SO GOOD BITS: The only reason this wasn’t a five-star is because I wasn’t as immersed in the novel as I would’ve liked. This is partly my fault, I was in a weird rhythm with reading for a few weeks. But I just didn’t get that obsessive hook I need to make it one of my absolute favourites. Honestly, it didn’t pass my litmus test – I didn’t cry.

OVERALL: I’d recommend this book to fans of ‘Girl Meets Boy’ by Ali Smith, ‘10 Minute 38 seconds in This Strange World’ by Elif Shafak, and ‘Earthlings’ by Sakaya Murata.

You can purchase this book with a discount and support @aminasbookshelf via my bookshop.org account.