Good Reads / Community Library Notes
The Death of Vivek Oji
Akwaeke Ejmezi
Review by Priscilla Comen
The Death of Vivek Oji
Akwaeke Ejmezi
Review by Priscilla Comen
The Death of Vivek Oji, by Akwaeke Ejmezi, is the story of a family In southeastern Nigeria, Chika gets a job as an accountant at a glass factory and falls for the niece of the company’s doctor, Kavita. They begin a courtship and he kisses he in the doctor’s rose garden. When they marry, her dowry is her mother’s gold jewelry. One day their son puts it all on himself to the joy and desire of Osita, Ekene’s and Mary’s son. On the day Vivek is born, his grandma dies, the same scar on both of their legs. Chika doesn’t believe in superstition. Years later, on her veranda Kavita finds Vivek’s bleeding body and screams, “Wake up. Wake up.” Vivek’s father is shattered, his mother goes mad.
Osita and Vivek always fought as children. The gold jewelry is a savings account to send Vivek to America. His mother belongs to the Niger wives and learns to cook Nigerian foods. The two boys go to holiday parties with other children. When they are alone, Vivek tells Osita he has black-outs. Osita wonders if he should tell Vivek’s parents, if he could have saved him.
Elizabeth agrees to be Osita’s girlfriend. She likes being at Chicka’s house with Osita. Osita tells Vivek how he and Elizabeth make love and Vivek wants to watch. He says he’ll stand outside the window, hidden in the bushes. But he comes into the room, having one of his spells. Elizabeth screams and Osita comforts her. She leaves in a taxi. Osita knows he’ll never see her again.
Years later at Osita’s graduation they take a photo of Vivek, Osita, his father, uncle and his mother. Osita hears a conversation on the phone about Vivek. His hair is long and he doesn’t sleep at night, but wanders about the house. He wears a special pendant around his neck. Osita’s mother invites Vivek and family to come visit. Osita goes into his room where Vivek sits on the bed. His hair is at his shoulders, tangled and he is thin. Osita has a beard and his head is shaved. They hug and osita takes a bath in Vivek’s bathroom. Then Vivek does too. Osita sees Vivek’s hair neatly combed and twisted into a bun at the nape of his neck. Osita admits he has a girlfriend at school and Vivek says he’ll be his best man at his wedding. It’s all a lie. There is no girlfriend. They talk about sleeping with other men. They lie together back to back. Later Mary tells Kavita that Vivek is not safe walking around with long hair in Nigeria. At Mary’s church the people try to beat the demon out of Vivek.
Kavita’s friend Maja wants to leave her husband Charles but knows she can’t live on her own. He wants to bring his other family there to live. It’s the custom, he says. Meanwhile Chika is sleeping with his secretary at his office. Author Emezi shows us the customs and characters without pity or shame. These are the facts.
Vivek is wearing lipstick and Osita is afraid. Kavita wants to find out what has happened to her son, why he’d been murdered and dumped on her door step like garbage. But not one of his friends is talking. Elizabeth gathers Vivek’s friends and tells them it’s time to reveal the story of his death. They show Kavita the photos and leave them with her. She is full of grief. He was sick and no one helped him. Was Osita with him? Did he take him back home? Who really was Vivek? Find out by this brilliant young author, at the new fiction section of your local library.
Osita and Vivek always fought as children. The gold jewelry is a savings account to send Vivek to America. His mother belongs to the Niger wives and learns to cook Nigerian foods. The two boys go to holiday parties with other children. When they are alone, Vivek tells Osita he has black-outs. Osita wonders if he should tell Vivek’s parents, if he could have saved him.
Elizabeth agrees to be Osita’s girlfriend. She likes being at Chicka’s house with Osita. Osita tells Vivek how he and Elizabeth make love and Vivek wants to watch. He says he’ll stand outside the window, hidden in the bushes. But he comes into the room, having one of his spells. Elizabeth screams and Osita comforts her. She leaves in a taxi. Osita knows he’ll never see her again.
Years later at Osita’s graduation they take a photo of Vivek, Osita, his father, uncle and his mother. Osita hears a conversation on the phone about Vivek. His hair is long and he doesn’t sleep at night, but wanders about the house. He wears a special pendant around his neck. Osita’s mother invites Vivek and family to come visit. Osita goes into his room where Vivek sits on the bed. His hair is at his shoulders, tangled and he is thin. Osita has a beard and his head is shaved. They hug and osita takes a bath in Vivek’s bathroom. Then Vivek does too. Osita sees Vivek’s hair neatly combed and twisted into a bun at the nape of his neck. Osita admits he has a girlfriend at school and Vivek says he’ll be his best man at his wedding. It’s all a lie. There is no girlfriend. They talk about sleeping with other men. They lie together back to back. Later Mary tells Kavita that Vivek is not safe walking around with long hair in Nigeria. At Mary’s church the people try to beat the demon out of Vivek.
Kavita’s friend Maja wants to leave her husband Charles but knows she can’t live on her own. He wants to bring his other family there to live. It’s the custom, he says. Meanwhile Chika is sleeping with his secretary at his office. Author Emezi shows us the customs and characters without pity or shame. These are the facts.
Vivek is wearing lipstick and Osita is afraid. Kavita wants to find out what has happened to her son, why he’d been murdered and dumped on her door step like garbage. But not one of his friends is talking. Elizabeth gathers Vivek’s friends and tells them it’s time to reveal the story of his death. They show Kavita the photos and leave them with her. She is full of grief. He was sick and no one helped him. Was Osita with him? Did he take him back home? Who really was Vivek? Find out by this brilliant young author, at the new fiction section of your local library.