Scan barcode
A review by justabean_reads
You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi
emotional
funny
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Emezi sure has a wide spread of genres! I kept expecting there to be some kind of supernatural element, but this is pretty much a straight up contemporary romance, with a lot of M/F sex (reminding me why I don't often read romances on audio, as it's harder to skim through the sex scenes). We follow Feyi, an artist who's trying to get back into the dating game for the first time since the death of her husband, through a brief series of boyfriends before she lands on the eternal problem described in Easy Virtue as "Oh, no, this boy has brought me home to meet his parents, and his dad is really hot." The soap opera that follows is somewhat predictable, but also a total page turner. I had to find out how these people's hot mess lives turned out!
The slightly surreal melodrama tone is underlined by the setting filled with the kind of wealth and opulence that I tend to associate with billionaire romances (though no one here owns an evil corporation). The unnamed Caribbean Island where most of the story is set is lushly described, as is all the gourmet food, and everyone's fantastic hair and outfits. It's very much a fantasia of beautiful and improbable things, and I can see why Michael B. Jordan snapped up the film rights.
That said, the story isn't entirely ungrounded. We get a lot about how grief expresses itself, and the slow and often convoluted path to healing. Feyi expresses her pain in trauma through her art, when she can, but learning to handle it and not let grief drive her choices is a huge part of the story. (I liked how much time all of the characters spent in therapy.) It's also an immensely queer story, with multiple bi characters, including both leads, and a lesbian best friend who also has a meaningful story that's not "token gay friend" (to the point where I hope there's a sequel about Joy). Despite the stunning beauty of place, we still have to navigate a world where men behave badly, parochial societal views limit one's choices, and bad choices have consequences.
It's overall more or less what I want from a contemporary romance (not a category I read a lot of, admittedly). I'm very curious what Emezi is going to do next!
The slightly surreal melodrama tone is underlined by the setting filled with the kind of wealth and opulence that I tend to associate with billionaire romances (though no one here owns an evil corporation). The unnamed Caribbean Island where most of the story is set is lushly described, as is all the gourmet food, and everyone's fantastic hair and outfits. It's very much a fantasia of beautiful and improbable things, and I can see why Michael B. Jordan snapped up the film rights.
That said, the story isn't entirely ungrounded. We get a lot about how grief expresses itself, and the slow and often convoluted path to healing. Feyi expresses her pain in trauma through her art, when she can, but learning to handle it and not let grief drive her choices is a huge part of the story. (I liked how much time all of the characters spent in therapy.) It's also an immensely queer story, with multiple bi characters, including both leads, and a lesbian best friend who also has a meaningful story that's not "token gay friend" (to the point where I hope there's a sequel about Joy). Despite the stunning beauty of place, we still have to navigate a world where men behave badly, parochial societal views limit one's choices, and bad choices have consequences.
It's overall more or less what I want from a contemporary romance (not a category I read a lot of, admittedly). I'm very curious what Emezi is going to do next!