Reviews with content warning for Suicide - Freshwater

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.

Content Warnings

holly_jones's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional slow-paced

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

3.75

Content Warnings

vallyore's review against another edition

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challenging mysterious reflective tense 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

3.75

i’m sorry this book felt like a waste of time i feel nothing ughhh 👎👎 the book wasn’t confusing and i found it really interesting but the ending was so … idk.

i LOVED the writing and i feel like this book could be 4-5 stars after a reread but for now i’m sorry ion feel it like that

Content Warnings

katjalainen's review against another edition

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challenging emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

5.0

Content Warnings

growplantsreadbooks's review against another edition

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challenging 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

5.0

This is one of the best books I've ever read. I'm embarrassed, this author has been on my radar for so long and I just had to put their entire catalog on hold. What a fresh & forgiving depiction of mental illness and the sometimes hard path to self acceptance & spirituality.
PLEASE read the content warnings to brace yourself for a difficult read.

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