Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi

128 reviews

poetology's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

An intriguing first novel about trauma and coming of age that makes me want to find out more about the writer's work. I felt uneasy that possession seems to drive the protagonist's queerness but I suspect that the Igbo spiritual landscape is more complex than I can grasp based  on this novel alone.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm

Moderate: Eating disorder

Minor: Child abuse

maddyreads89's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Child abuse

Minor: Pedophilia

michaelion's review against another edition

challenging dark informative mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Akwaeke Emezi, I will find you one day. One day, I will find you. I will drop to my knees. And I will ask for your hand in marriage.

They peeled my scalp back, cracked my skull open, and wrote exactly what's going on in my brain. What the heck Akwaeke Emezi my future spouse. How dare you. I love you. I guess I'm an ogbanje? Is it appropriative of me to say that even though I know my ancestry comes from Nigeria I'm just not sure which people group? Anyway anyway. I am her and they is me and I am we. Amazing. I'm so glad I chose to pock this up this month. THIS IS Black history NOW !!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexual content, Violence, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Colonisation

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Biphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Transphobia, and Medical content

aude's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Child abuse, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

persnickery's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional

• 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol

Minor: Child abuse, Drug use, and Forced institutionalization

kodi_rae's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense 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

5.0

Beautiful, graphic, and unlike anything I’ve read. So interesting and so we’ll done. I loved it. I think Emezi has a knack for writing about the uncomfortable and asking tough questions of their reader. I might like this one slightly more than The Death of Vivek Oji but they are both brilliant.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Car accident, Suicide attempt, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Transphobia

Minor: Body horror, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, and Dysphoria

tartanshelf's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol

Moderate: Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Physical abuse, Blood, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

eddaderya's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Self harm, and Dysphoria

Moderate: Child abuse and Suicidal thoughts

jmcampbell57's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Rape, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, and Sexual content

businesswife's review against another edition

dark sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A very challenging book with hard subjects matter. I don't know that I'm the right person to have read this book and gotten the most out of it. The reading however was gorgeous. The spiritual subject matter is beautiful. And the realistic view of trauma is painful but true. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Blood, Vomit, Suicide attempt, and Abandonment