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You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi

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You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty

A Novel

by Akwaeke Emezi

Narrator Bahni Turpin

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Length 9 hours 57 minutes

Language English

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Bookseller recommendation

“This lush, moving, queer, & deliciously dramatic romance follows Feyi, a widowed young artist, who finds herself falling for her new boyfriend’s father, a celebrity chef and a widower himself, while staying in his home on a Caribbean island. There's lots of great spice in this novel, but even more, I loved what it had to say about grief, recovering from trauma, and embracing love how you find it. ”
— Megan • Underground Books

Bookseller recommendation

“A fresh voice with depth. Akwaeke is a wordsmith, having me captivated and intrigued, creating a visual delight that brought the pages to life and each character maiking an impact. I didn't want to put it down. Raw, real and hot! ”
— Ali • Devonport Bookshop

Bookseller recommendation

“Save this one for your next long trip, because you definitely won’t be able to stop once you jump on the roller coaster that is Feyi Adekola’s life. Art, travel, deep abiding friendship, and food all narrated by the brilliant Bahni Turpin.”
— Angie • The Country Bookshop

Bookseller recommendation

“This book is chock-full of lines that will pack a punch. Several times I would put the book down and just say, wow, out loud to myself. The tension was so masterfully built and whew! The payoff was very very good. Loved this and love that this genre is new territory for Emezi, but they are certainly not showing any novice tendencies. Such a fantastic read!”
— Nyawira • Page 158 Books

Bookseller recommendation

“This is my top read of 2022 so far! I just loved this steamy gorgeously written novel about a young artist finding a second chance at love in the most unconventional of ways, five years after her husband's tragic death. Filled with lush descriptions of tropical gardens, transformative sunsets, and mouth-watering Michelin star concoctions! It's perfect for reading on the beach! Oh! And the best friend banter made me laugh out loud!”
— Zinna • A Great Good Place for Books

Summary
About the author

A Good Morning America Buzz Pick

“A love story like no other, and this one…will have you gripped from page one.” —Vogue

“An unabashed ode to living with, and despite, pain and mortality.” —The New York Times Book Review

A New York Times bestselling author, National Book Award finalist, and “one of our greatest living writers” (Shondaland) reimagines the love story in this “riveting and emotional exploration of grief and taking a second chance on love” (PopSugar).

Feyi Adekola wants to learn how to be alive again.

It’s been five years since the accident that killed the love of her life and she’s almost a new person now—an artist with her own studio and sharing a brownstone apartment with her ride-or-die best friend, Joy, who insists it’s time for Feyi to ease back into the dating scene. Feyi isn’t ready for anything serious, but a steamy encounter at a rooftop party cascades into a whirlwind summer she could have never imagined: a luxury trip to a tropical island, decadent meals in the glamorous home of a celebrity chef, and a major curator who wants to launch her art career.

She’s even started dating the perfect guy, but their new relationship might be sabotaged before it has a chance by the overwhelming desire Feyi feels every time she locks eyes with the one person who is most definitely off-limits—his father. Can she release her past and honor her grief while still embracing her future? And, of course, there’s the biggest question of all—how far is she willing to go for a second chance at love?

“With tenderhearted characters and an immaculate balance of realistic dialogue and lyrical prose” (BuzzFeed), Akwake Emezi’s vivid and passionate writing takes us deep into a world of possibility and healing. You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty is a “a love letter to the brave choices we make in the name of love, the costs we pay for it, and the glory of the reward at the end” (Marie Claire).

Fiction Romance LGBTQIA+ Fiction

Akwaeke Emezi (they/them) is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Death of Vivek Oji, which was a finalist for the Dylan Thomas Prize, the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and the PEN/Jean Stein Award; Pet, a finalist for the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature, a Walter Honor Book, and a Stonewall Honor Book; Freshwater, which was named a New York Times Notable Book and shortlisted for the PEN/Hemingway Award, the New Public Library Young Lions Fiction Award, the Lambda Literary Award, and the Center for Fiction’s First Novel Prize; Dear Senthuran: A Black Spirit Memoir, which won the 2022 ALA Stonewall Prize for Best Nonfiction Book; and most recently, Content Warning: Everything, their debut poetry collection, and Bitter, their second young adult novel. Selected as a 5 Under 35 honoree by the National Book Foundation and featured on a Time cover as a Next Generation Leader, they are based in liminal spaces.