Oh my good god. I have to start by saying I love Awkwake Emezi, so when I saw their next book, I knew I had to read it. Having read their past works, I knew I’d have to go in with no expectations or ideas about what could possibly be in store for me because Emezi has this way of throwing it all back in your face and saying, “fuck you, strap in for the ride.” And what a ride! This author has such a vivid writing style, so as a reader, you hardly have to work to paint every graphic, sensual, and appalling picture in your head. Each sentence was so carefully and cleverly constructed that I literally hung on to every word. This story never lost me for a second. It had me by the throat with a knife, and it was all I could do to sit back and let it unfold.
Little Rot by Akwaeke Emezi, (List Price: $29, Riverhead Books, 9780525541639, June 2024)
Reviewed by Laney Sheehan, Epilogue Books Chocolate Brews in Chapel Hill, North Carolina