The Death of Vivek Oji is a 2020 fiction novel by Nigerian author

Akwaeke Emezi Akwaeke Emezi is a Nigerian fiction writer and video artist, best known for their novels ''Freshwater'', '' Pet,'' and their ''New York Times'' bestselling novel '' The Death of Vivek Oji''. Emezi is a generalist who writes speculative fiction ...

. It was published on 4 August 2020 by

Riverhead books Riverhead Books is an imprint of Penguin Group (USA) founded in 1994 by Susan Petersen Kennedy. Writers published by Riverhead include Ali Sethi, Marlon James, Junot Díaz, George Saunders, Khaled Hosseini, Nick Hornby, Anne Lamott, Carlo Rove ...

, it narrates the life of Vivek Oji until his death. It is Emezi's second adult novel after ''

Freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the term specifically excludes seawater and brackish water, it does in ...

'' and the book received critical attention and was an instant New York Times best seller.

Plot

The novel is set in southeastern Nigeria during the 1980s and ’90s. The novel begins with the death of Vivek Oji and is told through a series of flashback in a nonlinear narrative. Born on the day of his grandmother, Ahunna's, death, Vivek becomes solidified to her by the starfish-shaped scar on Vivek's foot that resembles Ahunna’s, Vivek’s grandmother. Raised by a distant father and an understanding but overprotective mother, Vivek suffers disorienting blackouts, 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.

Themes

Self identity and Gender

The novel deals with self identity which the eponymous character Vivek faces as he comes to terms with his true identity and gender and believes he should be free to be who he is and what he wants without disturbances from others.

Homosexuality

The novel explore the views of homosexuality in Nigeria as it is a criminal offence and the stigma attached to it. It also talks about

closeted ''Closeted'' and ''in the closet'' are metaphors for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender and other ( LGBTQ+) people who have not disclosed their sexual orientation or gender identity and aspects thereof, including sexual identity and hum ...

gay people who are afraid of

coming out Coming out of the closet, often shortened to coming out, is a metaphor used to describe LGBT people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity. Framed and debated as a privacy issue, coming out ...

and are yet to come in terms with their sexuality.

Reception

The book received generally positive reception with several media outlet including ''The New York Times'', ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...

'', ''

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

'', ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virg ...

, ''praising Emezi's creativity. It was an instant

New York Times bestseller ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States.John Bear, ''The #1 New York Times Best Seller: intriguing facts about the 484 books that have been #1 New York Times ...

. In a positive review the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...

'' called it "a relatively slim book that contains as wide a range of experience as any saga". ''

The New York Times Book Review ''The New York Times Book Review'' (''NYTBR'') is a weekly paper-magazine supplement to the Sunday edition of ''The New York Times'' in which current non-fiction and fiction books are reviewed. It is one of the most influential and widely read ...

'' called the novel “ dazzling, devastating story . . . A puzzle wrapped in beautiful language, raising questions of identity and loyalty that are as unanswerable as they are important.” A starred review by the

Kirkus ''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of ...

called it "Vividly written and deeply affecting".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Death of Vivek Oji, The Nigerian English-language novels Nigerian fantasy novels Novels with transgender themes 2020s LGBT novels Nigerian LGBT novels Novels set in Nigeria Novels set in the 1980s Novels set in the 1990s Novels by Akwaeke Emezi 2020 Nigerian novels Riverhead Books books