Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi

120 reviews

nicjmorrow's review against another edition

Go to review page

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. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

allygogo's review against another edition

Go to review page

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? Yes

4.5


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

alexdebello's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious 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

I’m at a loss for words after reading this book - trying to pin it down feels like an injustice. 

Emezi is a visionary, and is bringing to life unforeseen possibilities that run wild outside of boxes and pre-established norms for writers of color and writers at large. 

I cannot recommend this book enough, and personally plan on reading more of Emezi’s work as soon as possible. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

leffel's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional slow-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

4.5

 It was really heavy and interesting to piece together what was going on inside the mind with what may be happening in the outside world.  I had started it once a long time ago and had trouble getting into the rhythm of the writing, but it clicked better this time and I finished it quickly! 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

sallymodz123's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional reflective 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

Beautiful, but honestly at times painful, story about a person with DID. Well written and thought provoking

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

grandiose_r's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional 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

4.75


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

scrunger's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

raneyak's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional reflective 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? Yes

4.75

It got a little confusing at times, but overall this book is a lyrical exploration of trauma and recovery. The main character has traits of some sort of dissociation disorder, but rather than portraying her experience through a psychological lens the book tells her story in terms of her cultural and spiritual beliefs.  

The story is told in a non-linear fashion, jumping back and forth in the timeline while different characters (personalities/identities within the main character) tell stories from their perspectives. This choice worked excellently for the story being told, with story pieces being told not in order of time but instead in order of personal significance. 

This book was quite explicit, though, and while the language was lyrical it still talked about self harm and suicidal ideation. Be very careful reading it if you have a history of mental health issues. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

bookishmillennial's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews because I don’t like leaving them. I enjoy most books for what they are, & I extract lessons from them all. Everyone’s reading experiences are subjective, so I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me on Instagram: @bookish.millennial

In many ways, you see, I am not even real.

I still can’t wrap my head around this being Akwaeke’s debut! It’s fantastic 😍 This is a character-driven novel and the concept is brilliant. Ada has multiple selves and we experience life alongside them, including some severe trauma. It was especially impressive how Akwaeke definitively fleshed out each “voice” / part of Ada. 

cw: Self harm, Rape, Suicide attempt, Sexual assault, Eating disorder, Child abuse

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

allouise's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.75

I will read anything akwaeke emezi rights, the fact that this is a debut is insane. Crazy good book I love the prose 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings