Reviews tagging 'Eating disorder'

Freshwater, by Akwaeke Emezi

112 reviews

undersea's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark reflective sad 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Suicide attempt, and Self harm

Moderate: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Infidelity, Rape, Sexual assault, Mental illness, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Dysphoria, Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Eating disorder

kaceyjoy's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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

4.5

Forceful, harrowing, difficult to read at times, poignant, sad, inspiring. I felt every emotion possible throughout this novel. Having read nearly all the author's other books before coming back to their debut prepared me for the heaviness. So worth the read. Definitely recommend.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Self harm, Eating disorder, and Rape

emreads27's review against another edition

challenging 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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

This book is unlike any I’ve ever read, and I would highly recommend it (with content warnings in mind). Igbo religion/culture was entirely new to me, so it helped to research and translate phrases between chapters for context. The westerner in me wanted to label their experience as DID, but the more I read, the more I tried to let go of psychological diagnosis and focus solely on their story, their voice. At times, the intensity pressed me to stop, but the raw vulnerability always pushed me forward. The Ada’s weaponization of their body in its own defense/desensitization, the fury, and the self loathing/self empowerment called to those same parts in me and my primal urge to protect the people I love who’ve undergone trauma and abuse in its many forms. To use a quote from the book, “Understand this if you understand nothing: it is a powerful thing to be seen.” Akwaeke Emezi’s writing was exquisite, and it will stay with me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Suicide attempt, Self harm, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, and Child abuse

eliakine's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad 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

4.5

this was a bit of a tricky read! not because it was difficult to read, the narrative voice was so clear, it made actually reading the book feel lovely and smooth. the topics discussed however were very heavy and numerous, so it's definitely not one for the faint of heart. even still, I don't regret picking it up at all, I just know that going forward I should be more careful to familiarise myself with content warnings before starting to read lol

I really enjoyed reading about Ada, and Emezi so skillfully wrote from so many different perspectives and voices this truly was a wonderful time. :)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Self harm, Sexual content, Blood, Body horror, Car accident, Cursing, Drug abuse, and Injury/injury detail

Moderate: Alcoholism, Eating disorder, Alcohol, Dysphoria, Child abuse, Homophobia, and Transphobia

Minor: Physical abuse, Violence, and Outing

zitalilla's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-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

Moderate: Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Injury/injury detail, Rape, Dysphoria, Drug use, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Blood, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Sexual harassment, Panic attacks/disorders, Addiction, Alcohol, Eating disorder, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Suicide

krsnris's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny informative sad fast-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Suicide attempt, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, and Mental illness

Moderate: Alcohol

Minor: Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Outing, Alcoholism, Eating disorder, and Drug use

kmgard's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Violence, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Misogyny, Body horror, Rape, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual violence, Alcohol, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Sexual assault, Eating disorder, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Outing, Emotional abuse, Dysphoria, and Drug use

nannahnannah's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative slow-paced

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

3.25

Freshwater is a fictionalized account of parts of Akwaeke Emezi's life. It brings up how there are perhaps other ways of looking at mental illnesses (well, what we in the Western world would consider mental illnesses). In this case, Emezi's character is inhabited by a god.

Ada is a Nigerian and Tamil woman whose sense of self fractures after a traumatic incident in college. She is also an ọgbanje, a minor god—or perhaps a collective god—Nigerian trickster spirits who had been more or less stuffed into Ada's human body when she was born. For years, Ada will fight with two distinct selves that form from the ọgbanje for control over her body and, if you're familiar with Western DID, the "front" of herself.

I won't lie, this book was painful to read for a host of reasons. It was frustrating, it was difficult, and at many times I wanted to put it down. Much of that has to do with my own difficulties with some of the things Ada was going through, and some of that had to do with me being completely uninterested in the repetition of the sex life of one of Ada's selves. There was so much sex. And a focus on men in general. But because this follows the author's life so closely, it's hard for me to fault that. When your trauma is so deeply rooted to men, it can make sense.

I also struggled a little bit with the prose. Don't get me wrong, overall Emezi's writing is gorgeous. But when every line is a little bit overwritten, the book becomes wearisome—some lines were beautiful, but at the same time I found myself wondering if they even meant something other than that. There were also a few problems I had with parts that were too coincidental, like when Ada needed to get into her boyfriend's room, so the book brought up random karate lessons that had never been mentioned before (and were never mentioned since), and Ada was able to kick the door down. Again, I'm aware this probably happened in the author's life, but as a story, it felt a little off.

However, the way that Emezi describes Ada's gender and dysphoria was incredibly relatable. That's just how I felt growing up and being called a boy: "the misfit of it fit." Even if it wasn't relatable to me in particular, it's so accessibly written.

I also want to make a note that the suicide parts are super intense. I did not feel that well mentally when or after I read them. If there weren't only a few pages left, I might not have finished it. Please be careful while reading this, but know that my reaction has no bearing on the work itself.

I feel bad rating this under four stars, but even though I consider this a very important work, it just wasn't a book I particularly enjoyed very much. And some extremely important works aren't enjoyable and aren't supposed to be. In this case, it's definitely a me problem and not the book's problem. It's beautifully written and so very honest, and I appreciate it so much for that, but near the end I just couldn't wait for it to be over. And yet I am very glad that I read it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Self harm, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Eating disorder

kanadrallegria's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

3.75

A very unique approach to mental health and spiritualism. Dark yet hopeful. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Self harm, Rape, and Cursing

Moderate: Mental illness, Child abuse, Injury/injury detail, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Blood, Eating disorder, Dysphoria, and Abandonment

Minor: Car accident, Drug use, Medical content, and Sexual harassment

bleepbloop's review against another edition

4.0

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Eating disorder

Minor: Child abuse and Homophobia