Akwaeke Emezi’s “The Death of Vivek Oji” becomes their first NYT Best-seller
Currently ranking 15 on NYT Best-selling list, Akwaeke Emezi has finally joined the list of New York Times Best-selling authors, for their sophomore adult novel, “The Death of Vivek Oji”.
This was revealed via a tweet by the editor of the publishers of the novel, Calvert Morgan (Riverhead Books).
The tweet reads: “THE DEATH OF VIVEK OJI,
this magnificent novel
of family, friendship, grief, and joy,
has just become @azemezi’s
first @nytimes bestseller.
I couldn’t be prouder to work with this truly visionary author.
Congratulations to them!
And to the amazing
@riverheadbooks team.”
The Death of Vivek Oji was released on the 4th of August, 2020. The Coming-of-age story has since then received praises by critiques and readers.
It’s currently on 4.26 on Goodreads with over 200 reviews.
Elle Magazine describes it as “A testament to Emezi’s immense literary prowess.”
O, the Oprah Magazine describes it as, “Electrifying”
Los Angeles Times describes it as, “Dazzling”
The New York Times Book Review describes it as, “[A] dazzling, devastating story . . . A puzzle wrapped in beautiful language, raising questions of identity and loyalty that are as unanswerable as they are important.”
The Washington Post describes it as, “Remarkably assured and graceful. . . . Emezi has once again encouraged us to embrace a fuller spectrum of human experience.”
Goop describes it as, “One of the best books of 2020. . . . a vivid, propulsive experience. . . . about freedom and our capacity to imagine what it’s like to be someone else, or perhaps, more so, what it’s like to experience them as they are.”
Stylist magazine describes it as, “An astonishing book . . . With warmth and great detail, Emezi explores the complicated friction of cultural clashes and the loss of youthful innocence.”
And many more reviews/praises.
It is safe to say then the novel which was named one of the most anticipated books of the year by The New York Times, BuzzFeed, and Library Journal, is living to to its hype.
Official synopsis of The Death of Vivek Oki:
“One afternoon, in a town in southeastern Nigeria, a mother opens her front door to discover her son’s body, wrapped in colorful fabric, at her feet. What follows is the tumultuous, heart-wrenching story of one family’s struggle to understand a child whose spirit is both gentle and mysterious. Raised by a distant father and an understanding but overprotective mother, Vivek suffers disorienting blackouts, moments of disconnection between self and surroundings. As adolescence gives way to adulthood, Vivek finds solace in friendships with the warm, boisterous daughters of the Nigerwives, foreign-born women married to Nigerian men. But Vivek’s closest bond is with Osita, the worldly, high-spirited cousin whose teasing confidence masks a guarded private life. As their relationship deepens — and Osita struggles to understand Vivek’s escalating crisis — the mystery gives way to a heart-stopping act of violence in a moment of exhilarating freedom.
Propulsively readable, teeming with unforgettable characters, The Death of Vivek Oji is a novel of family and friendship that challenges expectations—a dramatic story of loss and transcendence that will move every reader.”
The New York Times Best Sellers are “authoritatively ranked lists of books sold in the United States, sorted by format and genre.”
Congrats Akwaeke Emezi.
Purchase a copy here.
