Rollicking, sensual, blood-thirsty, wry, self-aware, this book is quite unlike anything I’ve read before - although it did bring to mind Vagabonds! which I read last month, in its gloriously unapologetic queerness. No One Dies Yet is a difficult read, but rewarding. I wouldn’t recommend trying to read it on a sun lounger while surrounded by distractions - it demands focus from the reader, unrelenting in its pace and stopping to hold no one’s hand.

Told via two main perspectives, Kobby (named after the author and also a bookstagrammer - it gets meta and I was there for it) and Nana, the main thrust of the book is the two characters navigating Ghana’s Year of Return, and the group of queer Black Americans who hire their services. The group spend their days trying to experience Ghanaian culture, while venturing into Ghana’s underground queer scene at night, thanks to Kobby and his connections.

Author Kobby packs so much into this book - colonialism both past and present, white saviourism, slavery, queerness and homophobia, tourism, religion, and more. It was extremely interesting to consider Kobby’s position - dealing with hostility towards his queerness from his compatriots, while juggling the sense of entitlement the group of Americans bring. Add to that some bodies piling up and you’ve got yourself a wild ride of a read. 

Sometimes I was completely lost, but I’d recommend just pushing on through because the bigger picture does become clear. You’re left feeling a little dazed, a little confused, but definitely in awe of what Kobby Ben Ben has pulled off in terms of a debut novel.