I’m really glad that I tried this book for myself and wasn’t put off by other reviews I read. With the impression that the opening scene was an offputting mix of sex and death and the central character a transgressive artist who worked in fairly grim media, I picked it up to check for myself before writing a quick note about why I hadn’t read it, and was instead drawn in by the rapid plot development, attractive characters and good writing.
Emezi has published two works of more literary style fiction before this and warns their readers that this is a “romance”; however, it ponders a lot of deep things and although it is at heart a novel about millennials finding their place in the world, it’s thoughtful and considered.
Akwaeke Emezi – “You Made a Fool of Death with your Beauty”
(11 March 2022, NetGalley)
There was a reason she’d fled from the garden that night, and a certainty that going on an early morning hike alone with this man was terrible idea. And, because Feyi was Feyi and she was alive, there was no way she could say no. ‘Four thirty,’ she replied, with a damned smile and a traitorous chill burning through her veins.
We meet Feyi having an anonymous hook-up at a party in New York, and she does at one point think of the car crash that killed her husband five years ago, but it’s not some kind of “Crash” mash-up of sex and death or anything. It is fairly explicit, and you might wonder why I’m OK with that in this book and not the last read; I can only say that the scenes are shorter here and seem to fit better with the urban and grittier vibe of the book (I’m not using “urban” as code for Black here, please note; the book is set partly among young artists and party-goers in New York rather than nice dog ladies in the South of France and the context does make a difference). She soon moves away from the friends-with-benefits gig with this guy and on to another person from his friendship group. Then her life changes when she’s offered an opportunity to exhibit her art in a big show in the Caribbean, goes there with Second Guy, determined to be her friend and not rush her, and meets his dad. Oops.
So yes, Feyi does sort of hop from man to man but she’s given morals and decentness and panic about falling for someone’s dad when she’s already messed around. The book is full of this angst and it is a bit millennial in that respect, but there’s also a lot of aspirational architecture and food, which is completely fair enough; who doesn’t want to read occasionally about high-end interior decor and amazing birds? The landscape is described beautifully and the supporting cast of characters from the art world are nicely and richly done.
The book is also diverse both in terms of the orientations of the characters (the two main characters could be described as bisexual but don’t describe themselves in any particular terms, there are a couple of lesbians and a gallery attendant who happens to be gay with no fuss made about it) and in terms of the different kinds of love portrayed. Although Feyi has had a sexual encounter with best friend Joy at one point, they’re loving friends now, sharing an apartment and all the details of their lives; Joy is a great conscience and counterpoint to Feyi and their video chats are hilarious, but their friendship is highly important. It’s made very, very clear that Feyi doesn’t need a particular man (or by implication woman) in her life; she has, and is, enough:
It didn’t matter how this went – it couldn’t matter how this went. She had a life in New York. She had Joy, and her work, and it had been enough before this, so it would be enough afterward.
Feyi is ambitious about her art, owns it and takes commissions on her own terms and the thing she really sticks up for when things get tough is her art, not her relationship; I loved this about the book. Her art is big and raw and about grief and hurt; it’s installation art rather than paintings and it uses unconventional media. It’s refreshing to have her discuss her art with a female curator and a female collector, both also with diverse Caribbean heritages, as well.
A good read, one step towards the literary from the straight romance genre still but nicely done by the author, and I would certainly read another of their novels, realising they’re quite different to this one. I’ve added my social justice – race tag to this to remind myself it’s an all-Black cast but there are obviously points made about societal racism, not wanting one’s art to go to an old White male collector, etc.
Thank you to Faber and Faber for selecting me to read this book via NetGalley in return for an honest review. “You Made a Fool of Death with your Beauty” is published on 26 May 2022.
May 18, 2022 @ 10:26:26
Good to see both the diversity and the fact that this includes some insights into her art as well
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May 18, 2022 @ 11:34:07
Yes, the art stuff was really interesting, and how she used her grief as an inspiration, etc. A fascinating book full stop!
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May 18, 2022 @ 10:39:56
How interesting Liz and proof that you should always try a book and judge it for yourself, not necessarily rely on other views.
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May 18, 2022 @ 11:34:45
Yes, indeed! I mean, I thought “right, I’ll face the first chapter and if it’s as horrible as people say, at least I’ve read that and can give an honest review,” then it was absolutely fine!
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May 18, 2022 @ 12:44:03
This sounds really good Liz, I like a bit of romance, though I’m tempted to start with her earlier ‘literary’ works. I’m interested though as to why you didn’t give any background for the author – New York? American/Jamaican? Wikipedia says they are Nigerian, with a Masters from NYU. Perhaps, probably even, she is writing in all these traditions at once.
Or are they well known and I, once again, am playing catch up.
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May 18, 2022 @ 13:55:18
It is a good read, definitely – not sure if there’s an audiobook yet but there’s sure to be.
I don’t think I usually give much info about the author, do I? I suppose my whole thing is Reception Theory – all that matters is our reaction to the text – although that’s not entirely true as the context does matter, too. Emezi (pronoun they) is a Nigerian American author who worked in literary fiction before – there’s one novel that’s structured around Nigerian myth, I know.
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May 18, 2022 @ 13:22:47
I like that the author noted that their book is different from previous works. In many cases I have been disappointed by a book or movie simply because it was advertised incorrectly. The movie It Comes At Night is the first example to pop in my mind. The studio advertised it like a horror film, but it was more a psychological thriller, and so horror fans were PISSED at how stupid the movie seemed compared to the conventions we’re used to. I hope, then, that Emezi’s book gets the right focus and attention it deserves.
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May 18, 2022 @ 13:56:21
Oh, that’s really interesting. In this case, it’s more literary than straight romance but more romantic than purely literary – although plenty of straight white men write books with age-gap romances and it’s still “literary” of course … I hope it does well, it’s really rich and interesting.
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May 18, 2022 @ 15:23:58
Interesting review. You’ve made me think again about this one. It’s one of those books that’s been constantly popping up in my Twitter feed but because of the way it’s been marketed I’d dismissed it.
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May 18, 2022 @ 17:41:30
Oh, that’s interesting, what is the marketing angle you’re seeing, then? It really is a good read, I’d recommend it.
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May 18, 2022 @ 18:40:43
Very commercial and lots of repetitive exposure. That title caught my eye, though.
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May 18, 2022 @ 16:19:03
The title alone is enough to get me interested!
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May 18, 2022 @ 17:41:46
A fab title and cover image, I think!
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May 18, 2022 @ 19:30:29
Sounds interesting Liz, I’d be interested in the art aspect of this one.
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May 19, 2022 @ 12:01:10
There was a lot of detail which was fascinating.
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May 19, 2022 @ 02:06:02
Wonderful review Liz, I appreciate the continued reading of books with people of color! I gave one of Akwaeke Emezi’s past fiction works three stars and their memoir Dear Senthuran three stars as well, so even though I think I’m still gonna take a break from their writing your review has made me consider reading this book at some point in the future. I like your attention to the theme of art in the novel and the vibes of millennial angst in an urban environment. Looking forward to reading about what you make of your future reads after this one! (:
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May 19, 2022 @ 12:02:01
I think this is a bit different from their other work: I do want to read at least one of the others, though. Reading a book about a couples therapist at the moment!
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May 19, 2022 @ 08:10:10
I enjoyed Emezi’s debut Freshwater but haven’t been able to keep up with their prolific publications since! This sounds good.
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May 19, 2022 @ 12:02:48
Yes, I’m realising they’re pretty prolific. I didn’t fancy Freshwater because of the magic realist aspect but this one was a good story with interesting extra aspects.
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May 21, 2022 @ 21:09:14
This sounds really good, I like the diversity particularly, though probably less interested in the young party going vibe. Love that cover though.
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May 23, 2022 @ 08:27:51
That’s a small part of it, although part of the whole millennial thing I suppose; once they get to the Caribbean it’s more grown-up. But the partying gives a context for content I wasn’t happy about in the previous read.
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May 27, 2022 @ 23:20:31
Next to Feyi, I think Joy was my favourite character. They have such a strong friendship.
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May 29, 2022 @ 07:48:50
Yes, I loved Joy and I’d definitely read a book about her, too!
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May 30, 2022 @ 22:20:46
Okay, I’m sold! I loved Freshwater and find Emezi to be a fascinating person in general, but I was also a little wary of this “romance”… sounds great though.
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May 31, 2022 @ 07:27:27
I’ve not read any of their others so can’t compare it, but it was certainly more than “just” a romance novel, I think. I hope you enjoy it and look forward to hearing what you think of it.
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