[How it Works](https://celestial.binderybooks.com/how-it-works/) [Bookshop](https://celestial.binderybooks.com/books/bindery/) [Publishing](https://celestial.binderybooks.com/publishing/) [Team](https://celestial.binderybooks.com/team/) [Contact](https://celestial.binderybooks.com/contact/) Log in or Sign up The Death of Vivek Oji: A Novel Akwaeke Emezi Save to Your Books [Bookshop](https://bookshop.org/a/84139/9780525541622) 100% of affiliate revenue supports Celestial A Good Morning America Buzz Pick. 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. Show more Get the Bindery app * * * Posts about this title from Celestial [Celestial\\ \\ Steph\\ \\ • Mar 9 2025](https://celestial.binderybooks.com/) [30+ trans & nonbinary book recs \| trans rights readathon 2025 prep!](https://celestial.binderybooks.com/item/2R9lRBsd146BIun8UfBo/) feel free to recommend your favorite trans book in the comment section (or pitch your own if you're an author)!! let's fill these comments with love so this video doesn't end up on the scary side of the algorithm. ☆ featured links ☆ official trans rights readathon website (with TONS of resources): https://transrightsreadathon.carrd.co/ PLEASE sign up here to be included in the data: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/2025-trans-rights-readathon 💫 join me on bindery (celestial - exclusive content, discord, book club, and more): https://celestial.binderybooks.com/ ☆ everything I mentioned (in order) ↓ \- Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi \- Dear Senthuran by Akwaeke Emezi \- Pet by Akwaeke Emezi \- Bitter by Akwaeke Emezi \- The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi \- You Made a Fool of Death With Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi \- Content Warning: Everything by Akwaeke Emezi \- Little Rot by Akwaeke Emezi \- The Deep by Rivers Solomon \- Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon \- An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon \- Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White \- The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White \- Compound Fracture by Andrew Joseph White \- The City Beautiful by Aden Polydoros \- Wrath Becomes Her by Aden Polydoros \- Bone Weaver by Aden Polydoros \- Ring of Solomon by Aden Polydoros \- The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey \- Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey \- Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas \- The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas \- Celestial Monsters by Aiden Thomas \- Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki \- Belly of the Beast: The Politics of Anti-Fatness as Anti-Blackness by Da’Shaun L. Harrison \- Heavyweight by Solomon J. Brager \- The Seep by Chana Porter \- The Devourers by Indra Das \- The First Bright Thing by J. R. Dawson \- The Bruising of Qilwa by Naseem Jamnia \- Feed Them Silence by Lee Mandelo \- Station Six by S.J. Klapecki \- Junker Seven by Olive J. Kelley \- Hammajang Luck by Makana Yamamoto ↓ find me in more places ↓ 🎵 tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@starrysteph 📸 insta: https://www.instagram.com/starry.steph 🦋 bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/starrysteph.bsky.social 📚 storygraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/profile/starrysteph 📖 goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/147956803-steph-starrysteph 💌 email: starrystephbooks@gmail.com more: https://beacons.ai/starrysteph ☆ resources ☆ 🇵🇸 learn more about the history of Palestine: https://decolonizepalestine.com/ 🇨🇩 learn more about what's happening in the DRC: https://friendsofthecongo.org/ 🇸🇩 Sudan Solidarity Collective: https://sudansolidarity.com/ * * * 34 books 1 [Celestial\\ \\ Steph\\ \\ • Sep 21 2024](https://celestial.binderybooks.com/) ["booktok destroyed literature!"](https://celestial.binderybooks.com/item/RGlhkzSfTCN48oidpTJ6/) i know that it sometimes feels like you’re struggling against the tide, but your feed is what you make it! here’s a little reset for you all the same. * * * 20 books Posts about this book from across Bindery [Peppered Ink\\ \\ Mary\\ \\ • Mar 11](https://marysmanybooks.binderybooks.com/) Join for free [A New Liquor in the Library! 🥰](https://marysmanybooks.binderybooks.com/item/vvczkJYk7kGFJyYLIoNG/) It's been a minute! * * * 10 books 3 [2](https://marysmanybooks.binderybooks.com/item/vvczkJYk7kGFJyYLIoNG/#comments) [Peppered Ink\\ \\ Mary\\ \\ • Mar 21 2025](https://marysmanybooks.binderybooks.com/) Join for free [What I'm reading for the Trans Rights Readathon 🏳️‍⚧️](https://marysmanybooks.binderybooks.com/item/c7qJO0dUSh7v5owPDq2N/) The Trans Rights Readathon starts TODAY, March 21, and goes until March 31, Trans Visibility Day. This is the perfect time to highlight books written by trans authors and about trans characters. * * * 5 books 2 [Celestial\\ \\ Steph\\ \\ • Mar 9 2025](https://celestial.binderybooks.com/) [30+ trans & nonbinary book recs \| trans rights readathon 2025 prep!](https://celestial.binderybooks.com/item/2R9lRBsd146BIun8UfBo/) feel free to recommend your favorite trans book in the comment section (or pitch your own if you're an author)!! let's fill these comments with love so this video doesn't end up on the scary side of the algorithm. * * * 34 books 1 [Sapph-Lit\\ \\ Nina\\ \\ • Feb 10 2025](https://sapphlit.binderybooks.com/) Join for free [Happy Black History Month from Sapph-Lit 💗](https://sapphlit.binderybooks.com/item/8TYSRDH5Q5RxWfjnibJ4/) Remember that Black history is also American history, it doesn’t stop & start in just one month. These books are for every month of every year! Read up, open your purse, and buy titles you’re interested in from indie bookstores 🫡✨ * * * 48 books 4 [Celestial\\ \\ Steph\\ \\ • Sep 21 2024](https://celestial.binderybooks.com/) ["booktok destroyed literature!"](https://celestial.binderybooks.com/item/RGlhkzSfTCN48oidpTJ6/) i know that it sometimes feels like you’re struggling against the tide, but your feed is what you make it! here’s a little reset for you all the same. * * * 20 books [Written Reveries\\ \\ Krystal\\ \\ • Mar 30 2024](https://writtenreveries.binderybooks.com/) Join for free [March reading Wrap Up](https://writtenreveries.binderybooks.com/item/PYZ5lpnkY7TFvk4D1Kat/) March reading Wrap Up * * * 11 books [Written Reveries\\ \\ Krystal\\ \\ • Mar 30 2024](https://writtenreveries.binderybooks.com/) Join for free [Trans Rights Readathon Recap](https://writtenreveries.binderybooks.com/item/qnL53vwAIXvqe2mtj9b3/) Trans Rights Readathon Recap * * * 3 books [Written Reveries\\ \\ Krystal\\ \\ • Mar 25 2024](https://writtenreveries.binderybooks.com/) Join for free [The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi](https://writtenreveries.binderybooks.com/item/GWiPo6lDkqYW3s0qAREO/) The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi * * * 1 book [Boundless Press\\ \\ Jananie\\ \\ • Feb 24 2023](https://boundless.binderybooks.com/) Join for free [my first book haul of 2023 \| new releases, Blackathon books](https://boundless.binderybooks.com/item/lBkBG0zP5OBwdZbSeTzA/) Get Surfshark VPN at https://surfshark.deals/jananie - Enter promo code JANANIE for 83% off & 3 extra months for FREE! Blackathon 2023 Announcement: https://youtu.be/1mRdXPPisEI Blackathon recs 1: https://youtu.be/rUv\_UXVKtjk Blackathon recs 2: https://youtu.be/QZyETYNMOfk Blackathon recs 3: https://youtu.be/kBioFkiv2Ug 💓 join as a channel member to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJn0v3OAEAX3-V4crjcHtRA/join 🤍 timestamps ↳ 0:00 intro ↳ 1:27 Hell Bent ↳ 3:10 SurfShark VPN ↳ 4:27 The Stolen Heir ↳ 6:12 Our Missing Hearts ↳ 7:34 The Last Tale of the Flower Bride ↳ 10:53 Chain of Thorns ↳ 12:40 Lakewood ↳ 14:29 The Death of Vivek Oji ↳ 15:11 House of Hunger ↳ 17:11 Before I Let Go ↳ 18:28 The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches ↳ 19:42 Legends & Lattes ↳ 21:16 outro socials 🤍 instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisstoryaintover/ 🤍 twitter: https://twitter.com/jananiekvelu 🤍 tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thisstoryaintover?lang=en 🤍 storygraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/profile/thisstoryaintover 🤍 goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/thisstoryaintover 💌 for business/sponsorship inquiries please contact eric@smallscreenmarketing.com 💌 for all other inquiries please contact me at thisstoryaintover@gmail.com faqs 🤍 how do you pronounce your name? \- my name is Jananie—pronounced JEN-nah-nee (like a knee!) 🤍 what's your background/ethnicity/etc? \- both my parents are Sri Lankan Tamil, and I was born and raised in Canada! 🤍 what is your job? \- aside from youtube I also work in product marketing! * * * 11 books