You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty

Last updated

You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty
You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty.jpg
First edition
Author Akwaeke Emezi
LanguageEnglish
Publisher Atria Books
Publication date
25 January 2022
Publication placeNigeria
Pages336
ISBN 978-1-982188-70-2

You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty is a 2022 romance novel by Nigerian writer Akwaeke Emezi. [1] [2] [3] It is Emezi's first romance novel, third adult novel and it follows Feyi Adekola, a Nigerian American visual artist as she heals from the trauma of widowhood and finds new love. [3]

Contents

Background

The novel is Emezi's first romance novel and they stated that the novel was partly inspired by the Florence + the Machine song "Hunger". [4] [3] [5] Emezi pulled the title of the book from the song lyrics after trying alternative names for the novel which they felt didn't fit. [3] [5] While writing the novel, they did not want it to fall under the regular trope of romance novels and instead made it about an illicit love triangle. Emezi wrote the novel with a queer gaze and also had it feature a supportive queer friendship. [6] They deviated from the normal heterosexual romance trope and made it a queer romance with the main characters Feyi and Alim being bisexual and Joy being a lesbian. Feyi's art in the novel is also based on Emezi's experience as a visual artist. [3] [4]

Reception

The book received generally positive critical acclaim and reception. [7] [8] It was the most anticipated book of 2022 by multiple media outlets including Vogue, Thrillist , Essence, The Washington Post and Vulture. [9] [4] [10] Writing for Vogue, Emma Specter praised the writing stating that "Emezi can write a love story like no other".

The New York Times Book Review praised the novel calling it "[A]n unabashed ode to living with, and despite, pain and mortality…and it could appeal especially to people who, living through an isolating pandemic that has accelerated loss, hunger for more joie de vivre. [1] A review from PopSugar called the novel "A riveting and emotional exploration of grief and taking a second chance on love." [8] Publishers Weekly noted that it "...is sure to tug at readers’ heartstrings." [11]

Adaptation

In April 2021, Deadline Hollywood announced that Amazon Studios won the right to adapt You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty into a feature film. [12] [13] It was purchased in a high six figure deal which Deadline called the biggest book deal of the year so far. Michael B. Jordan’s Outlier Society will develop it alongside Elizabeth Raposo. Emezi will serve as the executive producer. [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Umuahia</span> Capital city of Abia State, Nigeria

Umuahia is the capital city of Abia State in southeastern Nigeria. Umuahia is located along the rail road that lies between Port Harcourt to its south, and Enugu city to its north. Umuahia has a population of 359,230 according to the 2006 Nigerian census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women's Prize for Fiction</span> British prize for novel by female author (1996– )

The Women's Prize for Fiction (previously with sponsor names Orange Prize for Fiction, Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction and Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction is one of the United Kingdom's most prestigious literary prizes. It is awarded annually to a female author of any nationality for the best original full-length novel written in English and published in the United Kingdom in the preceding year. A sister prize, the Women's Prize for Non-Fiction, was launched in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christina Lauren</span> American writing duo

Christina Lauren, the combined pen name of Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings, is an American author duo of contemporary fiction, teen fiction and romance novels.

LGBT romance is a genre within gay literature and romance fiction focused on same-sex characters who fall in love and have a homosexual or homoromantic relationship. The genre has met with increasing acceptance and sales from the 1980s onward. Bussel, in Publishers Weekly, notes that as of 2020, presses that specialize in LGBTQ romance, mainstream publishers, and booksellers are expanding their offerings and inviting a more diverse authorship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Akwaeke Emezi</span> Nigerian writer and video artist

Akwaeke Emezi is a Nigerian fiction writer and video artist, best known for their novels Freshwater, Pet, and their New York Times bestselling novel The Death of Vivek Oji. Emezi is a generalist who writes speculative fiction, romance, memoir and poetry for both young adults and adults with mostly LGBT themes. Their work has earned them several awards and nominations including the Otherwise Award and Commonwealth Short Story Prize. In 2021, Time featured them as a Next Generation Leader.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Casey McQuiston</span> American romance author

Casey McQuiston is an American author of romance novels in the new adult fiction genre, best known for their New York Times best-selling debut novel Red, White & Royal Blue, in which the son of America's first female president falls in love with a prince of England, and sophomore book One Last Stop. McQuiston made their debut in the young adult fiction genre with their book I Kissed Shara Wheeler which was released on May 3, 2022. They were included in Time magazine's 2022 Time 100 Next list.

Naoise Dolan is an Irish novelist. She is known for her novels Exciting Times (2020) and The Happy Couple (2023).

<i>Legendborn</i> 2020 fantasy novel by Tracy Deonn

Legendborn is a 2020 debut young adult fantasy novel by Tracy Deonn. Called "a modern day twist on Arthurian legend", it follows a black teenage girl who discovers a secret and historically white magic society. The book is the first in the Legendborn series. It was released on September 15, 2020, and it was published under Simon & Schuster/McElderry. Legendborn received the Coretta Scott King Award/John Steptoe Award for New Talent as well as a nomination for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize.

<i>Swimming in the Dark</i> 2020 Polish LGBT novel

Swimming in the Dark is a 2020 novel by Polish writer Tomasz Jędrowski. This novel was subject to a "hotly contested" six-way publishing auction, from which Bloomsbury gained rights. After being first published in English by Bloomsbury in February, Robert Sudół's translation was released in Poland later in the month. The writer’s debut novel, it is a gay love story set in the closing years of the Polish People's Republic. It received praise for both its quality of writing and compelling story as well as its tactful treatment of its LGBTQ themes. It received at least one starred review from Publishers Weekly, and was later longlist-nominated for the HWA Debut Crown.

<i>Pet</i> (novel) 2019 young adult novel by Akwaeke Emezi

Pet is a 2019 young adult fantasy/speculative fiction novel by Nigerian non-binary author Akwaeke Emezi. It was followed by a prequel Bitter, released in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TJ Klune</span> Queer romantic fiction and fantasy writer (born 1982)

Travis John Klune is an American author of fantasy and romantic fiction featuring gay and LGBTQ+ characters. His fantasy novel The House in the Cerulean Sea is a New York Times best seller and winner of the 2021 Alex and Mythopoeic Awards. Klune has spoken about how his asexuality influences his writing. His novel Into This River I Drown won the Lambda Literary Award for Best Gay Romance in 2014.

<i>Freshwater</i> (novel) 2018 novel by Akwaeke Emezi

Freshwater is a 2018 autobiographical fiction novel by Nigerian writer Akwaeke Emezi. Emezi's debut novel, it tells the story of Ada, a girl with multiple ogbanje dwelling inside her. A TV series based on the novel is under development by FX.

<i>The Death of Vivek Oji</i> 2020 novel by Akwaeke Emezi

The Death of Vivek Oji is a 2020 fiction novel by Nigerian author Akwaeke Emezi. It was published on 4 August 2020 by Riverhead books, it narrates the life of Vivek Oji until his death. It is Emezi's second adult novel after Freshwater and the book received critical attention and was an instant New York Times best seller.

<i>Bitter</i> (novel) 2022 young adult novel by Akwaeke Emezi

Bitter is a young adult novel written by Nigerian writer Akwaeke Emezi and published by Knopf on 15 February 2022. A prequel to Emezi's Pet, Bitter tells the story of a Black teenage girl living in a city troubled by constant protests and violence.

Emily Henry is an American author who is best known for her New York Times bestselling romance novels Beach Read, People We Meet on Vacation, Book Lovers, Happy Place, and Funny Story.

Andrew Winer is an American novelist. Recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in Fiction and author of the novels The Marriage Artist (2010) and The Color Midnight Made (2003), he writes and speaks about literary, philosophical, and artistic matters. Presently he is completing his third novel and a book on the contemporary relevance of Friedrich Nietzsche’s central philosophical idea, the affirmation of life. Andrew Winer is also an artist.

Victories Greater Than Death is a 2021 young adult science fiction novel, the first installment in the Unstoppable trilogy by Charlie Jane Anders. The novel focuses on Tina Mains, a teenage girl who is secretly a clone of an alien war hero who is called up for service in galactic war after the beacon implanted in her activates.

<i>Book Lovers</i> 2022 romance novel by Emily Henry

Book Lovers is a 2022 romance novel by Emily Henry.

References

  1. 1 2 Kwon, R. O. (20 May 2022). "An Ode to Living With, and Despite, Pain and Mortality". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  2. C.J, Nelson (30 May 2022). "Akwaeke Emezi's 'Fool of Death' Reconstructs The Margins Of Ideal Romance". Teen Vogue. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Akwaeke Emezi's Inspirations Writing 'You Made a Fool of Death With Your Beauty' – Thrillist". www.thrillist.com. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 Ukiomogbe, Juliana (23 May 2022). "How Florence + the Machine Inspired Akwaeke Emezi's New Novel". ELLE. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  5. 1 2 Marks, Olivia (28 May 2022). "'Romance Gets a Really Bad Rap': Akwaeke Emezi on Writing This Summer's Must-Read Love Story". Vogue. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  6. "Akwaeke Emezi on How Modern, Inclusive Romance Novels Are Expanding the Possibilities of Love". Literary Hub. 31 May 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  7. "Summer reading: the 50 hottest new books for a great escape | Summer reading | The Guardian". amp.theguardian.com. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  8. 1 2 Bowman, Sabienna (24 May 2022). ""You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty" by Akwaeke Emezi". POPSUGAR Entertainment. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  9. "You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty — Akwaeke Emezi's reinvention of the romance novel". Financial Times. 2 June 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  10. Krajeski, Justin. "15 best books by LGBTQ+ authors in 2022". www.nbcnews.com. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  11. "You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi". www.publishersweekly.com. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  12. 1 2 Fleming, Mike Jr. (29 April 2021). "Amazon, Michael B. Jordan's Outlier Society Land Akwaeke Emezi Novel 'You Made A Fool Of Death With Your Beauty'". Deadline. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  13. "Akwaeke Emezi's Novel 'You Made A Fool Of Death With Your Beauty' To Be Adapted Into A Film By Amazon Studios And Michael B. Jordan". JARO Magazine. 11 May 2021. Retrieved 12 April 2022.