The Death of Vivek Oji is the fourth of Emezi’s works that I’ve read, and they never cease to amaze me; in this case, I’ve been left sobbing in some complicated combination of devastation and hope. Knowing based on the title and the first page of the text that Vivek would die, the reader is immersed in Vivek’s world – Vivek’s family and friend relationships especially, and to some extent a broader socio-political context – and circumstances surrounding the death are slowly revealed. Emezi’s character development is absolutely impeccable; I felt mother Kavita’s grief in my bones and Ossita’s heartbreak with every fibre of myself. Nothing I could possibly write in a review will capture how I feel about this book. 

My content warnings contain something that could be considered a spoiler; I've chosen to put them here.

Content warnings: violence, death, injury detail, homophobia, transphobia, consensual sexual relationship between cousins