I thought You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty may have been a fluke, but no, Emezi writes beautiful novels. her characters are rich and distinct, and she excels at portraying small moments between them with the weight I feel that they would have in reality. she also manages to write about spirituality, incest, and gender identity without falling prey to the lifeless and exhausting western discourse around these subjects. certain moments were unsatisfying, but Emezi’s skill as a character-driven storyteller made The Death of Vivek Oji a wonderful experience.