“The Death of Vivek Oji” by Akwaeke Emezi

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“If nobody sees you, are you still there?”
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The surprise isn’t In the fact that Vivek dies. It’s in the way that their life, both leading up to and after his demise, has profound effects on the people around him. Told from multiple perspectives in both the before and the after, this novel explores the concept of what it means to live freely, and the lengths a person is willing to go to exist in their truth.
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I almost finished this book in a single sitting. I had to force myself to put it down and go to sleep. Emezi has fantastic prose; I literally hugged the book to my chest when I finished. Just…wow. I was moved.

I’ve always considered myself an invisible queer. as a cis-femme, I don’t have to worry about bigoted remarks being pointed in my direction. I have many friends who are not so fortunate.
And truly…nothing instantly incenses me faster than hearing about queer people being rejected by their families just for existing as they truly are. It literally makes me want to fight (what can I say, I’m a Libra…justice is kinda my thing).

This book would almost surely be banned in schools where I am in Texas, and yet I feel like it should be required reading. Maybe with more books like this…one’s that shed a light on how much of a loss it is to miss out on the life of the living…society could learn to be a little kinder.
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“Somewhere, you see, in the river of time, I am already alive.”