On the same day that a riot destroys a local marketplace, Kavita finds Vivek’s nude body wrapped in cloth and laid on her doorstep; the narrative then explores the years of Vivek’s life and death in a non-linear narrative.

When a young Vivek is caught watching Osita have sex with his girlfriend Elizabeth, the boys quarrel.

Vivek grows close to the daughters of the Nigerwives; these are immigrant women like Kavita who have married Nigerian husbands.

After Vivek's death, Kavita begins interrogating the young women, believing that they can provide information about what happened.

The women and Osita initially claim not to know what killed Vivek, but they later vote to tell Kavita the truth.

Kavita keeps the photos in an album under her mattress and asks Chika to replace Vivek’s headstone.

Osita grabbed her arm; as she pulled away, she stumbled and fatally struck her head on the sidewalk.

[3] The book received generally positive reception with several media outlet including The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR, USA Today, praising Emezi's creativity.

[3] In a positive review the Los Angeles Times called it "a relatively slim book that contains as wide a range of experience as any saga".

[10] The Death of Vivek Oji was longlisted for the 2021 Aspen Words Literary Prize.