Those who want to read: The Death of Vivek Oji (Akwaeke Emezi)

One afternoon, in a city in southeastern Nigeria, a mother opens her front door and discovers the body of her son, wrapped in colorful cloth. What follows is the tumultuous, heartbreaking story of a family's struggle to understand a child with a gentle and mysterious spirit, and behavior that is simultaneously withdrawn and flamboyant. Raised by an absent father and an understanding but overprotective mother, Vivek suffers from disorienting blackouts. He finds solace in friendships with the warm, impetuous daughters of the Nigerwives: foreign-born women married to Nigerian men. Maar Viveks's closest bond is with Osita, his confident, cheerful cousin. As their relationship deepens and Osita struggles to understand Vivek's drive for salvation, the question arises in a moment of thrilling freedom: what is worse: to die or to live invisible? With 'The Death of Vivek Oji', Nigerian author Akwaeke Emezi (she/he/they) wrote a globally celebrated novel about family and friendship, about wanting to be seen, about searching for a home, about the price of being yourself. A mosaic novel full of unforgettable characters from one of the most important voices in contemporary literature. This book is available at Muntpunt in Dutch, in English, as an e-book (EN) or as an audiobook (NL).