But violence takes on a different meaning when explored in a queer context.
Niru is devised not unlikeBeasts Agu: a victim of circumstance.
But Niru is also black, gay, and the son of immigrants the deck is stacked against him.
Credit: Harper
With unrelenting straightforwardness,Speak No Evilreveals the worst-case scenario for such a person.
Iweala is a unique and surprising writer; the story he tells is neither of those things.
The tragic inevitability of Nirus journey is less illuminating than familiar, less gut-wrenching than exhausting.
Caroline Cuse
The page-turning effect is monotonous, a screed inflamed by anger and pain.
Its opening chapter, especially, starts a little scattered and conventional before moving into Nirus coming-out.
The moment of his confession is tremendous, an infusion of unnerving suspense into a gay coming-of-age milestone.
I start to cry, Niru says.
Im overwhelmed by the sound of my own pain.
He has a rare gift for capturing stream-of-consciousness thought, tackling it at a pace thats quick but authentic.
With every step Iweala takes toward tragedy, our window into Nirus soul gets narrower.
This, again, seems by design, but misguidedly so.
Theres a richness to Nirus life family, school, romantic thats left underexplored.
Instead, about two-thirds through the (already slim) book, Iweala ditches his perspective for Merediths.
Its here where the book really veers off track.
Shes a catalyst for trouble, a well-meaning liberal blinded by her privilege.
Weve heard her story before.
And by the end of it, were still waiting for Nirus to come to life.B-
