Diverse Read: You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi

Author: Akwaeke Emezi (they/them)

Title: You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty

Genre: Emotion (Romance)

Publication Date: 2022

Number of Pages: 288

Geographical Setting: New York, Caribbean islands

Time Period: Present Day

Underrepresented Author Voice: Black, African, nonbinary transgender, ogbanje

Plot Summary: Beautiful young artist Feyi Adekola is just beginning to live again after the premature death of her husband. Her intense grief has permeated her artwork and plagues her thoughts. Encouraged by her best friend Joy, she seeks out romance again. Her first promising connection, Nasir, is perfect on paper. Nasir is patient and kind, and says they can be friends first. Feyi's tentative interest mixes with obligation when Nasir lands her an art exhibition in his home country in the Caribbean. 

Feyi's world begins anew when she meets Nasir's father, Alim. The connection between the two is palpable, as Feyi does her best to nix it. Guilt, grief, and yearning ignite Feyi's soul on fire as she must choose if she will deny herself someone who just might be the first step on her path to healing.

Subject Headings (per Novelist):

• Grief
• Healing 
• Love triangles
• May-December romance
• Self-discovery

Romance Appeals: 

Language/Style - "Romances are full of lush and expressive language, pulling readers into each scene and into the overarching tone of the novel" (Wyatt & Saricks, 2019).

    As I wrote in my Kirkus style review for this title, Emezi's prose is as searing as it gorgeous. Feyi's inner world feels as if it is our own as we experience her trauma and resetting of her person. Food, locale, and the senses are all engaged when the narrative takes Feyi to Alim and Nasir's tropical home. Alim is a master chef, and we taste each of his foods. The heat of the rising sun and Feyi's sweat-soaked shirt is within our reach when she makes that first pivotal climb up the mountain with Alim. It is gloriously rich text, and readers can settle into a chair and stay awhile as they fall in love with Alim alongside Feyi.

Contemporary Romance - "They [are]...simply assumed to be current because authors do not go to great lengths to specifically identify the period; they let details of technology, work environments, and modes of travel and dress indicate when the book is set" (Wyatt & Saricks, 2019).

    Feyi and her best friend, Joy, use slang and technology befitting the modern age. They FaceTime each other while Feyi is out of the U.S., and use vernacular language exclusive to their cultural groups in many ways. Both are the first generation queer daughters of African immigrants, and they use terms unique to all these communities. Feyi travels by plane and enjoys the simple pleasures of a modern life. No time is wasted unnecessarily explaining the precise date of when the story takes place. Such details would feel too mechanical. 

Characterization - "Novels turn on the relationship between the two central characters" (Wyatt & Saricks, 2019).

    Feyi is fully fleshed out and experiences vivifying highs and crushing lows. As an audience, we know abundant details about Feyi: she is insightful and unafraid to speak her mind, she is a poor cook, she uses unconventional mediums in her artistry, and she loves her friend Joy fiercely. She is afraid to hurt others and is not using to prioritizing herself. Alim, her love interest, is deeply emotional, poignant, and calm. We connect with Alim alongside Feyi as their dynamic deepens: both have lost a spouse, both are bisexual, both love the arts, etc. In this way Feyi begins to feel like our friend, and Alim our own "book boyfriend."

Three terms that best describe this book:

• Lush
• Emotional
• Moving

Romance Read-alikes:

Seven Days in June by Tia Williams

Williams, T. (2021). Seven days in June. New York: Grand Central Publishing.

Common appeals: Black lives, artists, trauma

Family Meal by Bryan Washington

Washington, B. (2023). Family meal. New York: Riverhead Books.

Common appeals: LGBT, grief after the death of a spouse, rich dialogue

Mostly Dead Things by Kristen N. Arnett

Arnett, K. N. (2019). Mostly dead things. Portland: Tin House Books.

Common appeals: LGBT, grief, psychological exporation

Nonfiction Read-alikes: 

I'm Not a Mourning Person by Kris Carr

Carr, K. (2023). I'm not a mourning person. Hay House Inc.

Common appeals: Grief, life after trauma, mortality

Widower to Widower by Fred Colby

Colby, F. (2021). Widower to widower. Front Range Press.

Common appeals: Death of a spouse, life after trauma, coping

It's OK that You're Not OK by Megan Devine

Devine, M. (2017). It's ok that you're not ok. Sounds True.

Common appeals: Grief, coping, cultural attitudes around loss, discussions of death

References:

Emezi, A. (2022). You made a fool of death with your beauty. New York: Atria Books.

Wyatt, N., & Saricks, J. G. (2019). The readers' advisory guide to genre fiction. American Library Association.