Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

Freshwater, by Akwaeke Emezi

33 reviews

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

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

lanid's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Body horror, Emotional abuse, and Mental illness

Minor: Body shaming, Dysphoria, Eating disorder, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Alcoholism, Rape, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, and Lesbophobia

woweewhoa's review against another edition

dark reflective 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

4.75

An incredible book about identity and how it intersects with spirituality, trauma, and living. Akwaeke Emezi's writing is really vivid, and most of the explicit scenes, while yes they are explicit, they don't feel voyeuristic. I think this book very good, though please exercise caution as the book is very dark, though it does end on a hopeful note. A lot of heavy subject matter in present in this book, and I feel like most of it is done very well and with a caring hand. 

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Child abuse, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Alcoholism, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Medical trauma, Drug abuse, Medical content, and Addiction

Minor: Body shaming, Lesbophobia, Biphobia, Forced institutionalization, Pregnancy, and Fatphobia

jamie_reads_stuff's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Biphobia, Blood, Car accident, Drug abuse, Drug use, Dysphoria, Eating disorder, Fire/Fire injury, Suicide attempt, Self harm, Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, and Outing

Moderate: Medical content, Transphobia, Gaslighting, Grief, and Lesbophobia

thebakersbooks's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-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

5.0

Akwaeke Emezi's debut novel Freshwater was the perfect book to boost me out of a reading slump. The prose is beautiful, the characters full of energy and detail, the experiences visceral. This is a book of sharp and jagged edges that cut to the emotional quick. I don't have the skill as a reviewer to do this story justice, but I enjoyed it a lot, even the painful parts.

It's odd to call such a dreamlike book relatable, but the main character of Freshwater was easy to connect to even when her specific struggles weren't ones I'd experienced. Ada's exploration of gender and sexuality were particularly special to me as someone with similar experiences. I'd be remiss not to mention that intersections of cultural and sexual/gender identity are unique to those who live them; as a white U.S.ian reader, I'm sure much of the nuance of being Black, Nigerian, an immigrant, etc. AND queer went over my head. That didn't diminish my enjoyment of reading it at all, and I hope will add to the richness of the experience for readers who do share those identities as well.

Freshwater is a short book but not necessarily a quick read; it grapples with a number of serious topics including rape, trauma, and grief. Nevertheless, the hints of magic and myth, whether real or allegorical, add a bit of lightness and much-needed distance from events that happen to Ada. There is joy amidst the pain that overshadows much of Ada's life, and the payoff when she eventually begins to understand herself more and come into her own feels like its own kind of magic. This is a story that will stay with me for a long time, a standout as both a literary work and a fantasy novel. I highly recommend this book to adult readers.

Content notes: accidental child injury (graphic); self-harm throughout; rape; eating disorder/anorexia; abusive relationships; drug use; alcohol addiction; gender dysphoria; outing a trans character; mild/brief homophobia; child sexual assault; suicide attempt

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Drug use, Injury/injury detail, Alcoholism, and Blood

Minor: Eating disorder, Dysphoria, Homophobia, Outing, and Transphobia

daisywh's review against another edition

challenging dark sad 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: Emotional abuse, Rape, Alcoholism, Blood, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

writingcaia's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

This is a complicated book to describe. Also not the easiest to read if one is not familiar with African and Nigerian deities and folklore, still it is a coming of age story, a story of a girl that is born filled with others that are Gods, genderless, capricious, sometimes evil, sometimes protectors.
Plagued with a hard childhood she self mutilates especially after becoming more physically woman-like and what it means. 
In her late teens she’s brought up to America from Nigeria just to suffer at the hands of evil men and to fight the trauma of they’ve done she becomes that which they fear and desire, lost inside herself she lets the Gods inside take control so she can endure. But, she’s constantly divided, constantly in between realms, our world and the veil other world from where they all came and will come again. She is plagued with gods, identities, struggle and pain. Sometimes being pushed into closely wanting to be gone and join the gods that occupy her body.
It is not an easy tale but it follows closely the author’s own journey with accepting their troublesome and pained past and also gender identity, while heavily mixing it with the roots and myths of their culture.
An almost magical realism biographical fiction story of spirit, religion and resilience, and finding one true self in the mist of much pain, despair, and wanting to be gone, and also to be truly found in oneself.
The ending of the book was a bit confusing and I am still not truly sure what it meant although I choose to believe the best happened for them.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm

Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Sexual violence, and Eating disorder

Minor: Suicide and Rape

tangleroot_eli's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

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

A thinly fictionalized account of Emezi's life. Might've been more impressive on its own; having read Dear Senthuran last month, it all piled up a bit too much.

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Car accident, Medical trauma, Homophobia, Injury/injury detail, Death, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Blood, Toxic relationship, and Medical content

Minor: Drug use

kpignuolo's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Rape, Alcoholism, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Blood, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Eating disorder, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Transphobia