Do you ever read a book and it turns out it is something very different from what you thought it would be?
 
 In this case it wasn't anyone's fault but my own, the different Akwaeke Emezi's book got blended in my head and I thought this would be a book steeped in Nigerian folklore and bordering the line of reality and fantasy. So I spend a large chunk of the book being rather confused and waiting for it to become what I expected it to be. 
 
 I think it thwarthed my enjoyment of the book slightly, because it turned out to be a gorgeous novel, it just took a while to wrap my head around the fact that it was going to be something completely different. 
 
 The book is about Vivek Oji, their death and their life.  Vivek is on a journey of self discovery, of their gender, their sexuality and how to be their true authentic self when their life is tragically cut short. 
 We see Vivek's family and friends join them on their journey, and later grieving their death each in their own different way. 
 It is a story of both joy, love and acceptence, but also of fear, misunderstanding and heartbreak. 
 Right from the first sentence I was in love with Emezi's writing, the way they set a scene was so fresh and evocative, I could not help being impressed. 
 And when I finally got settled in the book, it took me on an emotional journey, and I got my heart broken and healed, touched by the way Vivek's short life changed the life of those around them. 
 This book deserves a reread so I can appreciate it for what it is, a story of love and grief and self acceptence, from the start.