Written by Akwaeke Emezi
Narrated by Bahni Turpin.
How do we live after losing a significant other to the cold hands of death? Are we ready to move on after promising a lover forever in life and death? In what manner do we process trauma?
Feyi Adekola, a painter, loses her husband and high school love to an auto crash they were involved in together, briefly after their wedding. The crash leaves Feyi with indelible marks both physically and mentally.
The novel starts with Feyi engaging in a one night stand with a stranger at a rooftop party after five years of celibacy. She continues the steamy sexual encounter with Milan, the stranger. This encounter also leads her into an uncertain relationship with Milan’s friend, Nasir. Nasir wants a romantic relationship with Feyi, but she turns him down, telling him to let them take things slowly.
Nasir sets Feyi up for a meeting with a curator who wants to feature her in an upcoming group show. Nasir takes Feyi on a luxury trip to a tropical island with a sumptuous meal made by a rich celebrity chef who happens to be his father, Alim. Feyi finds out that Alim nurses a similar grief with the death of his wife and it brings them closer. Feyi’s life becomes complicated when she realizes she can’t control her feelings around Alim and the feeling is mutual.
Feyi begins a search for answers to these questions; Is it worth it to give love a second chance? Is it time to let go of the past and embrace closure? Is this the deepest betrayal of Nasir’s love?
You made a fool of death with your beauty, is a riveting novel. Akwaeke has shown again to be an extraordinary writer with this book. They did a good job capturing the complicated emotions that is trauma and grief.
Also, it’s either Emezi loves cooking or they appreciate the art of cooking. Each dish in the book was described so vividly, you could almost smell and taste it.
This novel is a clarion call to people who are dealing with grief that there’s always an opportunity to live again.
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