The Death of Vivek Oji

The Death of Vivek Oji by Awaeke Emezi is, hands down, one of the best novels of 2020. My book club read it and adored it – and has deemed it the best book we’ve read (out of 22) in book club.

Emezi crafted a beautiful tale of Vivek Oji, who, as we know from the title, has died. However, we don’t find out about how Vivek died until the very, very end; Emezi is an expert at crafting tension and taking us through a kaleidoscope of voices to tell this moving story.

Mainly, The Death of Vivek Oji tells the tale of Vivek, a young Nigerian person who is trying to figure out their relationship to their gender; ultimately, the reader understands, Vivek wanted to come out as a woman. Vivek’s dad is Igbo and mom is Indian — she is part of a club of “Nigerwives,” foreign women who have married Nigerian men. Vivek eventually finds solace in the daughters of other Nigerwives, and in the complicated relationship with a cousin, Osita. Vivek’s mother tries to understand what happened to her child, and Vivek’s death, but she comes to realize she never really knew Vivek. A heart-wrenching and powerful read.

Rating: ★★★★★