Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi | BOOK REVIEW

Book - Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi

Genre - Fiction, Autobiographical novel 

Pages - 229

My Rating - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

💣Trigger warning: Self Harm, Sexual Abuse 

It took me a long time to gather my courage and write a review which can only offer you a glimpse into this debut work of Emezi. And yet, I find myself unable to put together everything which this paradoxically short (229 pages) yet profound book has in it. 

This book - it's deep, raw, blatant and distressing. I can write tons of adjectives to describes how evocative, heart- wrenching, dark and  powerful it is. But I'll still be unable to do justice to it. 

At the heart of it all is Ada (who I fiercely wanted to just hug at one point ), a Nigerian girl who has ogbanje (godspawns) living  inside her. No, this book is not a fantasy book. According to Igbo beliefs and culture, she was born with these children of god but in flesh she was only a human. She experiences her life as an outsider even in her own body. It's the spirits who have complete control over her. This is how carefully the cultural beliefs are layered along the story.   

It's from here that we get to know of Emezi's brilliance, these ogbanje are nothing but Ada's split personalities. After facing a shattering traumatic assault, she divides herself into these personalities, each having an identity, a voice of its own and Ada lives her life through these personalities. 

 

To divulge more would probably ruin the experience of reading this ferocious tale of Ada's constant battle between the parts which she has hidden and are fighting within her to come out. 

Some parts of the book may seem indiscernible but that's probably deliberate on Emezi's part as it portrays the chaos and the struggle which Ada went through, struggling to decipher her own self amidst the different personalities.

This book is a perfect amalgamation of all the things not talked about in our society - Mental Health, Sexuality, Gender Identity.

Also, do read the reviews of other bloggers preferably on Goodreads to gauge out more about the book. I have tried my best to give you a spoiler free summary but there are other people who may have done a better job than me.

P.S. - A tip to enhance your reading experience - Go for a buddy read or a book club discussion. The book highlights a lot of important issues & you can swim through the confusing parts with the help of fellow readers.