carlysgrowingtbr's review against another edition
5.0
Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi is a unique and memorizing approach to understanding the difficulty of living with mental illness.
We begin with our main character, Ada. The story follows her as she is born and grows to adulthood dealing with two ancient entities within her. These gods talk with her and at times even control her body. As much as they seem to help Ada with certain situations, they also cause chaos and make her hard to exist alongside much of the time. The gods cause Ada to act violently and irrational and damage all of her personal relationships. Ada does seem aware of her otherness and it's issues through the book and takes several times to get help. However, she's often talked out of continuing treatment as the gods continue to exploit her vulnerability.
The book uses the old gods to explain Ada's violent behavior, including but not limited to self harm, promiscuity and fits of rage. It was a very interesting take on mental illness and a possible reasoning for it.
It took me a few tries to really get into this book. But once it stuck I was utterly hooked and couldn't step away. It was an excellent read.
We begin with our main character, Ada. The story follows her as she is born and grows to adulthood dealing with two ancient entities within her. These gods talk with her and at times even control her body. As much as they seem to help Ada with certain situations, they also cause chaos and make her hard to exist alongside much of the time. The gods cause Ada to act violently and irrational and damage all of her personal relationships. Ada does seem aware of her otherness and it's issues through the book and takes several times to get help. However, she's often talked out of continuing treatment as the gods continue to exploit her vulnerability.
The book uses the old gods to explain Ada's violent behavior, including but not limited to self harm, promiscuity and fits of rage. It was a very interesting take on mental illness and a possible reasoning for it.
It took me a few tries to really get into this book. But once it stuck I was utterly hooked and couldn't step away. It was an excellent read.
horchata's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
shanflan's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
4.0
I think this is one I will come back to, even though I think I may have enjoyed it more in my late twenties
sarcasticnerdette's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
mhworth's review against another edition
4.0
First of all, I love a Akwaeke Emezi. I wish I had read this before I read their memoir, Dear Senthuron, because it would have blown me away 100%
dkai's review against another edition
4.0
More language to talk about self/selves is always appreciated; it's underexplored area of writing. Some might say the book has too many terrible things happening in it, which I both agree and disagree with. What sticks with me is the way of processing what is happening to yourself in different ways. It's almost a form of therapy where you can (partly) decide how to experience and process events.
ella_pittsford's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug use, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Self harm, and Sexual violence
cestelaine's review against another edition
4.0
Hesitating between 3 and 4 stars for this. An incredible narrative, some beautiful insights, but it just didn’t quite come together for me.
Settled on 4 stars because it is an important story and I’ve read reviews from readers more familiar with the culture and style of narration who have said this is very true to its origins. Definitely worth reading.
Settled on 4 stars because it is an important story and I’ve read reviews from readers more familiar with the culture and style of narration who have said this is very true to its origins. Definitely worth reading.
facciata's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book! One of my very favorites read in the past decade.
16swest's review against another edition
3.0
I really wanted to like this book, held out hope for a while. Such a fascinating premise and I love playing with myths and spirituality. But it felt a little trauma porny and then the spirituality of the book feels like it tried to be beacon for "black people everywhere" and I just wasn't on board... I don't know, hard to describe my problems with the book, just did not vibe.