The death of Vivek Oji
Author
Publisher
Varies, see individual formats and editions
Publication Date
2020.
Language
English
Appears on these lists
Description
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER"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 BookPageWhat 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 readable, 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.
More Details
Contributors
ISBN
9780525541608
9780525541615
9780593211489
9780525541615
9780593211489
Excerpt
Loading Excerpt...
Similar Titles From NoveList
NoveList provides detailed suggestions for titles you might like if you enjoyed this book. Suggestions are based on recommendations from librarians and other contributors.
These books have the appeal factors haunting, stylistically complex, and nonlinear, and they have the theme "facing racism"; the genre "african american fiction"; the subjects "loss," "grief," and "west african people"; include the identity "black"; and characters that are "complex characters" and "introspective characters."
These books have the appeal factors haunting and lyrical, and they have the genre "literary fiction"; the subjects "family relationships," "west african people," and "african people"; include the identity "black"; and characters that are "complex characters," "sympathetic characters," and "authentic characters."
These stylistically complex novels set in Nigeria (Vivek Oji) and Trinidad (Love After Love) depict how the gradual revelations of personal secrets challenge and ultimately strengthen a web of family and friendships. -- Michael Shumate
These moving own voices novels focus on young LGBTQIA characters discovering their sexual identity as they also struggle with self-destructive behavior and mothers reluctant to understand their evolving children. -- Michael Shumate
These books have the appeal factors haunting and lyrical, and they have the subjects "gender fluid," "identity," and "family relationships"; and include the identities "lgbtqia+" and "black."
These books have the appeal factors haunting, lyrical, and first person narratives, and they have the genres "literary fiction" and "psychological fiction"; the subjects "loss," "grief," and "coping"; include the identity "black"; and characters that are "complex characters," "sympathetic characters," and "flawed characters."
These moving novels with vividly drawn characters use folklore elements to convey the self-estrangement experienced by an assertive young Ugandan woman (Water) and a gender-fluid Nigerian man (Vivek) as they struggle against social norms that require silencing their essential selves. -- Teresa Chung
In moving own voices stories set in a 1990s middle-class community (Death) and contemporary Lagos (Vagabonds!), these novels lyrically depict the prejudice and misunderstanding LGBTQIA persons face in modern Nigeria. -- Michael Shumate
These books have the appeal factors emotionally intense, haunting, and stylistically complex, and they have the theme "unhappy families"; the genre "lgbtqia+ fiction"; the subjects "family relationships," "west african people," and "african people"; include the identities "lgbtqia+," "black," and "gay"; and characters that are "complex characters" and "introspective characters."
Heartwrenching and lyrical, these stylistically complex own voices novels explore the repercussions of a gay Nigerian American teen boy's coming out (Speak No Evil) and the death of a genderfluid Nigerian man (The Death of Vivek Oji). -- Kaitlin Conner
These books have the appeal factors haunting, lyrical, and multiple perspectives, and they have the genre "literary fiction"; the subjects "loss," "grief," and "west african people"; include the identity "black"; and characters that are "well-developed characters."
Though one is set in Nigeria (Vivek Oji) and one in Jamaica and New York (Patsy), queer identity and the ways in which it infuses everything about familial relationships are at the center of these heartwrenching LGBTQIA diverse novels. -- Jane Jorgenson
Similar Authors From NoveList
NoveList provides detailed suggestions for other authors you might want to read if you enjoyed this book. Suggestions are based on recommendations from librarians and other contributors.
In their compelling speculative fiction for teens, Corinne Duyvis and Akwaeke Emezi feature complex stylistic choices and diverse (ability, racially, and LGBTQIA) characters. Emezi also writes for adults. -- Stephen Ashley
Though Akwaeke Emezi's work is a bit more surreal than Richard Bach's, both write thought-provoking stories about the complexities of humanity that incorporate surprising, sometimes unusual imagery. -- Stephen Ashley
These authors' works have the appeal factors haunting, hopeful, and thoughtful, and they have the genres "allegories and parables" and "african american fiction"; the subjects "african people," "quests," and "familial love"; include the identity "black"; and characters that are "complex characters."
These authors' works have the appeal factors emotionally intense and haunting, and they have the genres "lgbtqia+ fiction" and "dystopian fiction"; the subjects "near future," "transgender people," and "transgender teenagers"; and include the identity "bisexual."
These authors' works have the appeal factors emotionally intense, thoughtful, and issue-oriented, and they have the subjects "identity," "teenage girls," and "familial love"; and include the identity "multiracial."
These authors' works have the appeal factors emotionally intense, haunting, and multiple perspectives, and they have the genre "lgbtqia+ fiction"; the subjects "familial love," "grief," and "human nature"; and include the identities "lgbtqia+" and "gay."
These authors' works have the genre "lgbtqia+ fiction"; the subjects "transgender people," "transgender teenagers," and "gender fluid"; and include the identity "transgender."
These authors' works have the appeal factors haunting, stylistically complex, and unconventional, and they have the genres "lgbtqia+ fiction" and "dystopian fiction"; the subjects "near future" and "dystopias"; and include the identities "lgbtqia+" and "gay."
These authors' works have the appeal factors haunting and thoughtful, and they have the genre "lgbtqia+ fiction"; the subjects "loss," "grief," and "love triangles"; and include the identities "lgbtqia+" and "bisexual."
These authors' works have the appeal factors haunting and lyrical, and they have the genre "literary fiction"; the subjects "grief," "love triangles," and "death"; and characters that are "complex characters."
These authors' works have the appeal factors haunting and lyrical, and they have the subjects "identity," "loss," and "quests"; and characters that are "complex characters."
Reviews from GoodReads
Loading GoodReads Reviews.
Staff View
Loading Staff View.