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Freshwater Akwaeke Emezi Books

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Freshwater Akwaeke Emezi Books

"The first madness was that we were born, that they stuffed a god into a bag of skin."

I've never read anything like this debut novel, and am in awe of its fierceness.

Ada is born with an Ogbanje (a godlike Igbo spirit) inside her, and the story begins with the Ogbanje's narration from within her body. At college, Ada is raped by a classmate, prompting Asughara, the most dominant spirit, to take over and shield her from future pain. Ada is aware of Asughara, and the two form a strange symbiotic bond.

But Asughara is fueled by anger and bitterness—not only from Ada's trauma, but from Asughara's desire to return to the spirit world. Her idea of "protecting" Ada puts Ada on a dangerous path.

Now you can see what I mean when I say I've never read anything like this. Rooted in Igbo mythology, it's a raw and surreal exploration of identity, mental illness and trauma, written in sharp, explosive prose.

I loved the experience of reading this book—of bearing witness to something so unique and dark and powerful. I expect this will be one of my favorite reads of 2018.


Tags : Amazon.com: Freshwater (9780802127358): Akwaeke Emezi: Books,Akwaeke Emezi,Freshwater,Grove Press,0802127355,Literary,Autobiographical fiction,Autobiographical fiction.,Identity (Psychology),Identity (Psychology);Fiction.,Multiple personality,Nigeria,Women - Nigeria,Women;Nigeria;Fiction.,AFRICAN NOVEL AND SHORT STORY,Africa,FICTION Literary,Fiction,Fiction-Coming of Age,Fiction-Literary,GENERAL,General Adult,United States,West Africa

Freshwater Akwaeke Emezi Books Reviews

Part poetry, part novel, part philosophical journey. An incredible look at life- the physical and spiritual- and where the worlds collide. This is more than entertainment, it's thought provoking and challenging. I highly recommend the book.
This writing is incredibly beautiful. I FEEL each personality and the choppiness of memory vs time in a brain that is fighting to survive. Complex and layered yet piercingly clear, the chaos of mental illness plays out in a clean marble safe room. Congrats to Akwaeke Emezi on a debut novel that is pure fire!
I don’t think I have ever read a book from the perspective of a character’s other “personalities”. It is very difficult to describe, these aren’t personalities as if they were other people but more like other entities. Excellent reading!
I tried, I really did. I made several attempts but the book is choppily written and it's impossible to feel engaged with any part of the story or characters.
I struggled to get through this book-it was a difficult read. Perhaps if you've ever struggled with mental illness or had multiple personalities you could possible relate to this book? I'm still completely shocked at the books 4 star rating? A lot of the book read to me like an acid trip gone wrong? I would only recommend to not read this book unless you're struggling with multiple personalities. Apparently I am NOT the audience this author was intending her book for.
I like the intimate weave of lyrical, beautiful prose with scintillating imagery, three-dimensional characters that move the story over different planes. Here is a story minted in Igbo mythology, that moves from umuahia to manhattan, Malaysia,Atlanta and back. Only a writer of extraordinary talent can weave a story This rich without losing steam.This is for me a lush multicultural work of art. I recommend it for fans of literary and Transcultural fiction.
Despite its fascinating premise, and its frequently gorgeous language, Freshwater is a book that cannot help but disappoint. Although the first third of the book is vibrant and pulsing, the intricate attention to mythology soon disappears, as does the attention to the nuanced relationship between characters. I cannot give this book more than one star because the last two-thirds of this book is flat, repetitive, and boring--and essentially relies on the f-word to define one of Ada’s personalities. The author is clearly talented, but it seems as this book lacked a good editor. In the Ada of the last two-thirds of the book we have a self-injuring, eating-disordered, suicidal sex-addict--the character becomes paper-thin--a caricature of a woman who has experienced trauma and mental illness. The characters of the last two-thirds of the books are likewise interchangeable, as are Ada and her personalities. The last two-thirds of the book describes sex frequently, but is largely without plot. Though I hope for better from this writer in the future, I have to say that I haven’t read such a poor debut--or frankly, such a poor book--in a long time.
"The first madness was that we were born, that they stuffed a god into a bag of skin."

I've never read anything like this debut novel, and am in awe of its fierceness.

Ada is born with an Ogbanje (a godlike Igbo spirit) inside her, and the story begins with the Ogbanje's narration from within her body. At college, Ada is raped by a classmate, prompting Asughara, the most dominant spirit, to take over and shield her from future pain. Ada is aware of Asughara, and the two form a strange symbiotic bond.

But Asughara is fueled by anger and bitterness—not only from Ada's trauma, but from Asughara's desire to return to the spirit world. Her idea of "protecting" Ada puts Ada on a dangerous path.

Now you can see what I mean when I say I've never read anything like this. Rooted in Igbo mythology, it's a raw and surreal exploration of identity, mental illness and trauma, written in sharp, explosive prose.

I loved the experience of reading this book—of bearing witness to something so unique and dark and powerful. I expect this will be one of my favorite reads of 2018.