Akwaeke Emezi is responsible for the way my Tuesday went.
I opened this book up in the morning for a quick perusal – to see if I wanted it on my list - and found myself at the last page three hours later. How did that happen? I don’t even remember turning the pages. It was that engrossing.
For a book that starts off by letting you know its main subject is dead, The Death of Vivek Oji is compelling. It was an effortless read, and when I say effortless, I don’t mean the content, which deals with gender variance, deeply entrenched bias against anything ‘other,’ and a whole lot more; I mean how easily the words mixed and glided their way through my eyes and into my mind.
Akwaeke Emezi is a master at their craft.
If I had known what this was going to be about, I might not have started reading it (cousins who are as close as brothers should remember who they are!), but my goodness – I would have lost out on what is undoubtedly a stunning work of art.
Also, it’s available in Nigeria – published by Kachifo Ltd (A.K.A. Farafina Books).