The Death of Vivek Oji

Description

They burned down the market on the day Vivek Oji died. One afternoon, a mother opens her front door to find the length of her son's body stretched out on the veranda, swaddled in akwete material, his head on her welcome mat. The Death of Vivek Oji transports us to the day of Vivek's birth, the day his grandmother Ahunna died. It is the story of an over protective mother and a distant father, and the heart-wrenching tale of one family's struggle to understand their child, just as Vivek learns to recognize himself. Teeming with unforgettable characters whose lives have been shaped by Vivek's gentle and enigmatic spirit, it shares with us a Nigerian childhood that challenges expectations. This novel, and its celebration of the innocence and optimism of youth will touch all those who embrace it.

Akwaeke Emezi is a writer and video artist based in liminal spaces. A 2018 National Book Foundation '5 Under 35' honoree, their debut novel Freshwater was longlisted for both the Women's Prize for Fiction and for the Wellcome Book Prize. It was also a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award, the Center for Fiction's First Novel Prize, a Lambda Literary Award, and the New York Public Library's Young Lions Award, among others. Their first novel for young adults, Pet, was a finalist for the National Book Award for Young People's Literature. Emezi's writing has appeared in T: The New York Times Style Magazine, BuzzFeed and The Cut, among other publications.

'Emezi's surreal prose shines...extraordinary.' - Ayobami Adebayo, on FRESHWATER, Guardian 'This book lured me in from the first sentence. It shook me to the core. This book forges its own glorious path. Read it now. Give it to everyone you know. Read it again.' - Daisy Johnson, on FRESHWATER