Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

Água Doce by Akwaeke Emezi

43 reviews

ok7a's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective

• 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Self harm, and Sexual content

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, and Infidelity

Minor: Rape, Domestic abuse, and Suicide attempt

seawarrior's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense 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

5.0

Freshwater is a dizzying, original tale of a young woman who comes of age with gods trapped within her mind and her flesh. Emezi's writing is cutting and clear, conveying the messages of Ada's divine residents with precise expression and violent, glittering imagery. While the chronology of the book was disorienting at times, I never felt lost. The way events were revealed made sense in context, and furthered our understanding of the characters' thought processes. I am not familiar with Igbo onotology, or metaphysical theories in general, yet my lack of knowledge did not make the story hard to follow, thanks to Emezi's direct style and explicit metaphors. However, I would not recommend this book to people triggered by or vulnerable to depictions of sexual violence and self harm. A key plot development in the book is the arrival of a vengeful and hedonistic god summoned to protect Ada from the realization she has been raped. Even before this, Ada was self harming to provide her gods with the blood they craved, yet this event accelerates the self destructive behavior her gods encourage. Though deeply unsettling, I did enjoy reading this novel. I've never encountered another story like it, and look forward to reading the unique and divergent works Emezi felt inspired by. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Eating disorder, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Abandonment, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Grief, Death, Homophobia, Medical content, and Transphobia

talonsontypewriters's review against another edition

challenging 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Sexual assault, Rape, Domestic abuse, Suicide attempt, Mental illness, Body horror, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Blood, Violence, Emotional abuse, and Car accident

Moderate: Grief, Alcoholism, Drug use, Infidelity, Transphobia, Pedophilia, Suicide, Death, Animal death, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, Dysphoria, Child abuse, and Abandonment

Minor: Homophobia, Fatphobia, and Outing

Assault scenes are present but not extremely graphic; aftermath and results are covered more extensively than events themselves, though there are frank descriptions of rape and (C)SA.

whatannikareads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative 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? It's complicated

5.0

this is one of the best books I’ve ever read ever. I basically read this book in one sitting. Once you wrap your head around the initial writing style and concepts, holy shit you’re hooked. I have never read anything like this and I don’t think I ever will again. It’s such a unique, poetic, dark, intriguing way to handle trauma, grief, loss, love, heartbreak, incorporating the mythology of Nigerian spirituality. The pacing hooked me and i like how things weren’t explained super explicitly; the bad things that happen are revealed as we go on, and it made me stop and reflect on why Ada acted/reacted the way she/they did.

Stunning. Reminds me of The Vanishing Half, as in how can a debut book be THIS fucking good. Like holy shit dude I don’t know if I know what I read but every sentence felt like I could frame it.

MAJOR trigger warnings for rape, suicidal thoughts, mental illness, abuse 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Homophobia, Drug abuse, Car accident, Mental illness, Alcohol, Blood, Death, Domestic abuse, Suicide attempt, Drug use, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, and Toxic relationship

summerb's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad medium-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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, and Blood

Minor: Abandonment, Vomit, Violence, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Rape, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Forced institutionalization, Eating disorder, Drug use, Domestic abuse, Death, Cursing, and Child abuse

courtneyfalling's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

It took me a little bit (probably most of the first section) to get into the narrative style of this book, but once I was there, it was so haunting and emotionally devastating. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Car accident, Infidelity, Mental illness, Rape, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, and Child abuse

Moderate: Eating disorder and Lesbophobia

boy_topics's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Blood, Body horror, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Gore, Grief, Infidelity, Mental illness, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Violence

ashleycmms's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Self harm, Rape, Panic attacks/disorders, and Infidelity

Moderate: Child abuse, Drug use, Drug abuse, Gore, Medical content, and Mental illness

Minor: Eating disorder

julis's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional slow-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Rape, and Mental illness

Moderate: Alcoholism, Blood, and Infidelity

giulia_and_books's review against another edition

challenging 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Infidelity, Medical content, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, and Violence