Reviews with content warning for Toxic relationship - Freshwater

Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi

108 reviews

raneyak's review against another edition

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.

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poubelleboi's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

5.0

Veramente originale, ben scritto e interessante. "Acquadolce" di Akwaeke Emezi è un viaggio nella mente di una ragazza nigeriana col DDI (disturbo dissociativo dell'identità - se non lo conoscete, prima si chiamava qualcosa come disturbo della personalità multipla ma non è più corretto) che però non è trattato in maniera medica ma spirituale. I suoi alter sono dèi con desideri e obiettivi da dèi. Quando la protagonista si trasferisce negli Stati Uniti, loro combattono per tornare alle loro origini, in Nigeria, e dai loro fratellisorelle. Ed è troppo interessante leggere il loro punto di vista, che è allo stesso tempo esterno e interno. Veramente una lettura da dieci.

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lizziaha's review against another edition

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3.75

This book is no plot, just vibes. And the vibes are good—I love Emezi’s writing style—but I was a bit confused at times. I couldn’t wrap my head around all of it. I didn’t know whether to read it literally or as a metaphor. I would highly recommend reading the author’s note at the end, though.

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lolajh's review against another edition

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I just think this is just too much for me to deal with right now, and it’s not looking like the book is going in a direction that is promising and is making reading all this trauma actually worth it.

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tbhwhoknows's review against another edition

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challenging tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.0

definitely a heavier read than expected. started off a bit slow, took some time to get used to the settings and the style. the middle third is packed with trauma and deterioration which was quite hard to read. had to really take a few breaks in between. but overall the character building was amazing and they felt very very real. super well written. the writing is hauntingly beautiful. did it make me cry? yes. like how do you read lines like “it was as if staying alive just gave everyone else time to leave you” and not scream cry throw up how do you read i turn loneliness inside out and wear it like a glove and not have your heart break a little how do you

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thekissballad's review against another edition

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challenging dark slow-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

3.0

This was a hard one to get through, and not just because of the content. For which I'll say, do your research and read any warnings before diving in.

I did enjoy reading all of the personalities' perspectives and seeing how they help and/or hinder. However, in doing so, there was no clear timeline. The story jumped all around, and with it brought an excessive amount of repetitiveness.

The graphic and/or vulgar scenes were also not to my liking, and there were many. Had I done the research I suggested any future readers do, I probably would not have chosen to read this book.

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