The following version of this book was used to create the guide: Emezi, Akwaeke. You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty. Atria Books, 2022.

At the opening of the novel, Feyi, an artist in her late 20s, is having sex with a man named Milan in a bathroom at a house party in Brooklyn. The narration explains that Milan is the first person Feyi has “fucked since the accident” (1). After the party, Feyi continues to meet up with Milan to have sex with him, and becomes acquainted with a friend of his, a man named Nasir. Nasir appears to be attracted to Feyi, and she accuses him of disloyalty to Milan, but she is intrigued by him. She eventually stops seeing Milan and agrees to have dinner with Nasir. She tells Nasir how she lost her husband, Jonah, in a car accident five years ago. Nasir assures her that they can proceed slowly in their relationship, starting off as friends. Nasir’s father is wealthy and has contacts in the art world. Because of this, Nasir is able to secure Feyi a place in a show at the National Museum in his island homeland. He says that his father will provide accommodation for her there, and she is excited by the opportunity.

On the plane trip to his family home, Nasir explains to Feyi that his father is Alim Blake, a celebrity chef. Upon meeting Alim, Feyi is distressed to find that she feels intensely attracted to him. She is awed by the beauty of Alim’s house and the surrounding area while continuing to feel guilty and nervous about her attraction. She speaks to her best friend Joy about her feelings on a video call, and Joy urges her not to act on them. One night, Feyi wakes from a nightmare about Jonah and the accident, and goes downstairs to find Alim sitting in the garden. After she tells him about her dream, he speaks with her about how he lost his wife — Nasir’s mother — when she drowned in a bay. They discuss the possibility of finding love again after the deaths of their spouses.

One morning, Feyi joins Alim in hiking up to a mountain peak to watch the sunrise. Alim tells Feyi that he was in love with a male painter named Devon after his wife died, but that his children did not react well to the relationship and so he ended it. Feyi tells him that he should not have had to make this choice and hugs him. He returns the embrace at first but then breaks it, saying he has been inappropriate. Alim comes to the opening of the art show to see Feyi’s piece, a collection of gold wedding rings hanging in a mirrored room, which expresses her feelings of grief. At the show, Feyi meets Pooja Chatterjee, who is on the museum’s board of directors. Pooja offers to commission a piece from her. Feyi discovers that Alim has prepared a surprise dinner celebration for her following the show. After the dinner, Nasir tells Feyi that he has to fly to Antigua the next day for business and will be gone for a week. Later that night, while drunk, he tells Feyi that he loves her, and she feels a sense of dread. The next day, Nasir leaves earlier than planned and Feyi is left alone in the house with Alim. While preparing food, Feyi and Alim kiss.

Feyi confesses to Alim that she has feelings for him, and he makes it clear that he returns her feelings. The next day, she becomes upset while thinking about having to explain the situation to Nasir, and questions whether she and Alim should be together. They agree that they should hold off on making any plans for their relationship until they are able to speak to Nasir. A few days later, while Alim is out for a run, Nasir returns home early from his trip. A gardener who works for the family has told him that Alim was kissing a young woman who fit Feyi’s description. Angry, Nasir attempts to pack Feyi’s possessions and throw her out of the house. Alim returns and berates Nasir for his violent temper, and Nasir eventually leaves. Following Nasir’s visit, Feyi struggles with feelings of insecurity about her relationship with Alim.

Feyi has lunch with Pooja in town. She learns that Pooja is interested in her work because she also struggles with grief, having lost a daughter to leukemia. Feyi soon finds out that Nasir has been making derogatory comments about her to visitors at the museum. She confronts him angrily, surprising him, and he apologizes for interfering with her work, though he specifies that this does not mean all is right between them. By eavesdropping on a conversation between Alim and his daughter Lorraine at the house, Feyi learns that Lorraine does not approve of her relationship with Alim either. Feyi and Alim continue to struggle with his family’s disapproval. One morning, they go to the mountain peak again and have sex for the first time. Eventually, Feyi is able to have a respectful conversation with Nasir in which they both explain their feelings surrounding the situation with her and Alim, and Nasir accepts the relationship. Having completed her project for Pooja, Feyi tells Alim that she wants to return to her life in Brooklyn but that she loves him. In return, Alim raises the possibility of future marriage between them, and asks if he can come to Brooklyn with her temporarily in the meantime, saying that he loves her too.