
Freshwater
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.00 for first 30 days
Buy for $21.49
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Akwaeke Emezi
-
By:
-
Akwaeke Emezi
An extraordinary debut novel, Freshwater explores the surreal experience of having a fractured self. It centers around a young Nigerian woman, Ada, who develops separate selves within her as a result of being born "with one foot on the other side". Unsettling, heart-wrenching, dark, and powerful, Freshwater is a sharp evocation of a rare way of experiencing the world, one that illuminates how we all construct our identities.
Ada begins her life in the south of Nigeria as a troubled baby and a source of deep concern to her family. Her parents, Saul and Saachi, successfully prayed her into existence, but as she grows into a volatile and splintered child, it becomes clear that something went terribly awry. When Ada comes of age and moves to America for college, the group of selves within her grows in power and agency.
A traumatic assault leads to a crystallization of her alternate selves: Asụghara and Saint Vincent. As Ada fades into the background of her own mind and these selves - now protective, now hedonistic - move into control, Ada's life spirals in a dark and dangerous direction.
©2018 Akwaeke Emezi (P)2018 HighBridge, a division of Recorded BooksListeners also enjoyed...




















Difficult Listen for Me
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This wasn't necessarily a person struggling with sexual identity, it was a person struggling with identity, period.
Maybe I'm just getting old
Identity
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Snake Spirit
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Speechless
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
interesting, but...
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
inspirational, life changing, relatable. beautiful
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Not for me
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
However, by Chapter 5, things started to click into place. The book explores identity and self through the lens of Ada, a young Nigerian woman, as she navigates the presence of multiple selves-or spirits-within her.
Diving deep into spirituality, identity fragmentation, and the complexity of the human mind.
By chapter 10, I was completely hooked. Emezi's writing delves into profound themes like female sexuality, self-discovery, and the intersection of spiritual beliefs with the body. Ada's journey is one of wrestling with her identity as both a woman and a being inhabited by spirits, raising questions about autonomy and how spirituality shapes our understanding of self, particularly in non-Western contexts.
The book's tone shifts distinctly between different sections, from a dreamlike, almost disorienting narration in the beginning to a more visceral, grounded reality later. I suspect this is intentional, as it reflects Ada's growing understanding of her multiple selves and the forces within her. The reader is drawn into Ada's interior world, and as she becomes more aware of her situation, the storytelling becomes sharper and more direct.
The final chapters are haunting and powerful, filled with revelations about Ada's journey that left me thinking.
Without giving any spoilers, the ending ties together the book's exploration of identity, spirituality, and survival in an emotionally raw and intellectually challenging way.
Thought Provoking Read
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Beautifully written!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A different life perspective
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.