Reviews tagging 'Schizophrenia/Psychosis '

Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi

55 reviews

aellwy's review against another edition

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? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

macknificent's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Grief, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Abandonment, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Acephobia/Arophobia, and Abandonment

Minor: Homophobia, Incest, Pedophilia, Medical content, and Lesbophobia

spinesinaline's review against another edition

challenging dark tense 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

4.25

Freshwater has been described as partially non-fiction because both author and character experience multiplicity (multiple personalities) and consider themselves as an ogbanje, a term from Igbo religion meaning a hostile spirit in a human body. It felt like such a creative way to illustrate this reality but knowing that this is the author’s own way of identifying helped it feel grounded as well.

This is an intense book. There are many traumatic events within, including graphic sexual assault, so do take care when reading this one. I found it a powerful story and interesting following the review above as the main character here feels a bit monstrous at times as she seeks to destroy or cope with her other selves. Very glad I finally started reading Emezi this year. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Blood, Suicide attempt, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Medical content

lmshearer's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-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

3.0

After reading and thoroughly enjoying Pet, I had such high hopes for this book. Unfortunately, I found the structure and style, while ambitious and even experimental at times, to be a bit of a slog. I've read other reviews saying this book requires patience from its reader, and that is certainly the case. I was hoping to be caught up in the narrative but instead felt like I was chipping away to reach an (ultimately anticlimactic) end. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

snowforest's review against another edition

adventurous 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Blood

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Lesbophobia, Outing, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail

peppers_books's review against another edition

4.0

i have a Lot of thoughts. definitely need to read this again when i'm better prepared for the content. however, i will say that the writing is beautiful and the way the story is told is so interesting

also , big big content warning for self h*rm

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Sexual harassment

camimonae's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Outing, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Dysphoria

miles's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Eating disorder, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual harassment, and Dysphoria

Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Alcohol

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

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

kaitlinshares's review against another edition

challenging dark 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

Stunning, deep and complex. What reads almost as mythology on the surface, with personified spirits and gods, actually speaks to and explores the darkest depths of the human experience. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Self harm