You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty is a 2022 romance novel written by Nigerian author Akwaeke Emezi. This book is Emezi’s first romance novel and their third novel for adults. The story follows Feyi Adekola, a Nigerian American visual artist, as she works to recover from the sadness of losing her husband and begins to experience new love.

Background

The novel is Emezi's first romance book. They said the story was partly inspired by the Florence + the Machine song "Hunger." Emezi chose the book's title from the song's lyrics after trying other names they felt did not work. While writing, they wanted to avoid common romance story patterns and instead created a story about a love triangle involving relationships that are not allowed or considered wrong. Emezi wrote the novel with a focus on LGBTQ+ experiences and included a friendship between characters who are also LGBTQ+. The story is a romance between two bisexual characters, Feyi and Alim, and a lesbian character named Joy. The artwork in the novel is based on Emezi's own experience as a visual artist.

Reception

The book received good reviews from critics and readers. It was expected to be one of the most exciting books of 2022 by several media outlets, including Vogue, Thrillist, Essence, The Washington Post, and Vulture. British Vogue’s Olivia Marks wrote, “Akwaeke Emezi has created a story about modern love that people won’t forget—and it is one of the most exciting and thrilling reads of the year.”

The New York Times Book Review called the novel “[A] celebration of life even when dealing with pain and death… and it could especially interest people who have felt lonely during the pandemic and want more happiness.” A review from PopSugar described the book as “a story that holds readers’ attention and shows deep emotions about grief and giving love another chance.” Publishers Weekly noted that the book “will probably make readers feel emotional.”

Adaptation

In April 2021, Deadline Hollywood reported that Amazon Studios secured the rights to turn You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty into a movie. The agreement was worth more than $600,000, and Deadline described it as the largest book deal of the year at that time. Michael B. Jordan’s company, Outlier Society, will work with Elizabeth Raposo to develop the project. Emezi will oversee the production as the executive producer.

Awards and honors

• Nominated for Reader's Favorite Romance in the Goodreads Choice Award (2022)
• Recognized as one of the Best Romance Novels of 2022 by the New York Times
• Recognized as one of the Best Romance Novels of 2022 by the Washington Post
• Won the Best Fiction category at the NAACP Image Award (2023)