The Death of Vivek Oji

A Novel

By: Akwaeke Emezi

Narrated by: Yetide Badaki, Chukwudi Iwuji

A Good Morning America Buzz Pick

Instant New York Times Best Seller

"Electrifying." (O: The Oprah Magazine)

Named a Best Book of 2020 by The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR, USA Today, Vanity Fair, Elle, Harper's Bazaar, Marie Claire, Shondaland, Teen Vogue, Vulture, Lit Hub, Bustle, Electric Literature, and BookPage

What does it mean for a family to lose a child they never really knew?

One afternoon, in a town in Southeastern Nigeria, a mother opens her front door to discover her son's body, wrapped in colorful fabric, at her feet. What follows is the tumultuous, heart-wrenching story of one family’s struggle to understand a child whose spirit is both gentle and mysterious. 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.

Propulsively listenable 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 listener.

©2020 Akwaeke Emezi (P)2020 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“[A] dazzling, devastating story ... A puzzle wrapped in beautiful language, raising questions of identity and loyalty that are as unanswerable as they are important.” (The New York Times Book Review)

"Electrifying” (O: The Oprah Magazine)

"Brilliant ... This is a book full of line-level beauty; a book of multiple perspectives, each rendered organically and fully; a book of mystery and community and love.... A special read that will not soon be forgotten.” (Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, author of Friday Black)

Stunning text and oratory performance

The readers are amazing - carrying us through the text with so much commitment to the characters and storyline. The writing is absolutely beautiful and crisp and strong. Will read and listen again.

utterly beautiful

This book completely destroyed me. in the best way. So crushingly sad but incredibly beautiful. I don't think I'll be the same.

Transcendent

This story reached right into my soul and broke me entirely. The writing, the reading, the tenderness, the truth - it is all so exquisite. There is so much love and anticipation, and every word rings sincere even among all the secrets. I recommend this book to everyone who dares to love and be authentically themselves.

Difficult and Necessary

This was a difficult but very necessary book to listen to. So much beauty amidst so much pain. My heart was breaking for the characters who felt so tangible. This book is not for everyone but to those who decide to listen, listen with an open mind & heart. Compassion will overtake you by the end

Beautiful

"He didn't belong to you...You keep talking as if he belonged to you, just because you were his mother, but he didn't.
He didn't belong to anybody but himself."

This book is unbelievably beautiful, heartbreaking, poetic, all the things. You know that Vivek dies, it's the first chapter. What you don't know is his story. How his life was somehow hidden away, his identity unable to be set free, until it was. And it makes you wonder, if the short life he lived freely was the best of the lives he'd been granted.

Ugh, just beautiful. What a beautiful beautiful story.

Be patient

It’s feels a little slow and clunky at first, but hang in there. The disjointed narrative eventually finds its way rather beautifully. This style is an apt reflection of the human experience, of human connecting, searching and finding and dissimulating and reconciling. Highly recommend. I was moved.

Fucking incredible &

I was sobbing at the end. my world turned upside down. was not sold at first, but by the end I have a new understanding of love and why being in this world, especially as a queer person, is so important and emphemeral

amazing story...why the ending wanted more..

the story was like being on a journey that you didn't want it to end. The realness with every character was puapable and drew you further in...the end was hard...

absolutely stunning

i will say that the performance made this book absolutely stellar. the writing is beautiful. the story line is tragic. but the performance? baby they did that.

Must Read

This book is beautifully written and filled with vivid pictures that brings scenes and characters to life. The narration was excellent. I felt like a child listening intently as the storyteller shares accounts of history. It’s written in a way that your trust the author is telling you the truth. I love how the past, present and spiritual realms flow fluidly. Excellent story about identity, living your authentic self and how death can impact people for the better.