Tuesday, May 10, 2022

YOU MADE A FOOL OF DEATH WITH YOUR BEAUTY by Akwaeke Emezi

Feyi is still reeling from the death of her husband five years ago in a car accident.  She has since found it difficult to open herself up to another serious relationship, but she does hook up with a guy at a party.  Limiting her ongoing involvement with him to sex only, she then meets one of his friends, Nasir, who might have more long-term potential.  She insists they take things slowly, but then he offers her a chance to visit his father’s estate on a Caribbean island that also includes a chance to show her paintings at a significant art show.  All of this seems like a dream come true, but when she meets Nasir’s celebrity chef father, Alim, she is instantly smitten.  This book is such a departure from Freshwater and The Death of Vivek Oji.  It’s a moving and powerful love story, and I just devoured every word with relish.  The author keeps us on edge with barely restrained passion that is bursting at the seams.  Even though neither party is married, this romance is complicated by a sticky family situation.  On the one hand, this book feels like a guilty pleasure, although I don’t know why I should feel guilty about reading something so delicious, and I’m not just talking about all the scrumptious food that Alim dishes up. And just because the male lead is filthy rich doesn’t mean that the story can’t be about other types of struggles.  Grief is the hardship that plagues both Feyi and Alim, and I think that’s enough.  Grief also binds them together, but every good book needs some sort of conflict, and in this case it is the forbidden nature of their relationship.  Thanks to Simon and Schuster for the advance reading copy.

No comments: