INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Electrifying. - O: The Oprah Magazine Named a Best Book of
2020 by The New York Times The Washington Post NPR USA TODAY Vanity Fair Elle Harper's
Bazaar Marie Claire Shondaland Teen Vogue Vulture Lit Hub Bustle Electric Literature
and BookPage What does it mean for a family to lose a child they never really knew? 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.
