Reviews tagging 'Car accident'

Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi

62 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

milanaradic's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Suicide attempt, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts

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

mariebrunelm's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective 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

Freshwater, Emezi's debut novel, isn't exactly as fresh and delightful as its title suggests. It's a raw, violent, disturbing book about identity - or rather, identities. I'm quite certain I didn't understand it fully, and I'm not sure it's a book to understand. It's an experience, the experience of a radically other way of being. I won't even try to write a review because that's not my place. I just appreciate this book for existing, and for opening my eyes to sheer possibility. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Dysphoria, Rape, and Self harm

Minor: Child abuse and Domestic abuse

allisonbrooke's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abandonment, Transphobia, Car accident, Medical trauma, Sexual violence, Eating disorder, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Forced institutionalization, Lesbophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Abortion, Biphobia, Body shaming, Homophobia, Alcohol, Sexual assault, Incest, Grief, Mental illness, and Sexual harassment

thatenbyisisreads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad 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? It's complicated

4.5

I advise anyone who decides to read this to read with caution. I had to take several moments to process the topics in the book, but the overall writing was constructed in a very beautiful way that you don't get to see much of in other writings. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Sexual violence, Adult/minor relationship, Car accident, Rape, Sexual assault, and Self harm

decie's review against another edition

4.75

i wish there were more books like this. i loved reading about multiplicity from a depathologized lens, and entirely from a system's pov. 

note: definitelyyy check the trigger warnings on this one, friends.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Suicide attempt, Sexual violence, Mental illness, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Car accident, Eating disorder, Rape, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Homophobia, Infidelity, and Abandonment

Minor: Body horror

solenekeleroux's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Eating disorder, Child abuse, Drug use, Drug abuse, Alcohol, Addiction, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Transphobia, Car accident, Biphobia, and Medical content

elmo_isnotmyname's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

This was a dense ride. Through abuse, rape, self-harm, loneliness, mental illness, migration; spirituality.
The protagonist's 'fractured selves' spoke more than the protagonist themself -- though: what even is a self?, they end up wondering.

Instead of telling a lifetime of traumatic events through the eyes of the person battling against their ensuing 'madness' (as it is called here) -- we follow 'the madness' battling against the human body it is bound to. Outrageous lust and anger splitting the Ada (the protagonist) and their memories into multiple versions. Ultimatly as to protect the Ada.

So this can be read as a story about Dissociative Identitiy Disorder; weaving in tales of Igbo gods, myths, and spirituality.
There are many graphic scence of violence. The latter endeared this book to me (-- I'm sorry, as a reader I'm just craving for mirrors of myself, but I don't want to spoil this work of art by mixing in my own ego.)
I'm looking forward to reading Emezi's other work!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Blood, Gore, Death, Grief, Mental illness, Sexual violence, and Violence

Moderate: Alcohol, Toxic friendship, Vomit, Addiction, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Child abuse, Car accident, Eating disorder, and Panic attacks/disorders

am2ara's review against another edition

Content warning 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Self harm, and Abandonment

Moderate: Misogyny, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Mental illness, Car accident, Sexual assault, Panic attacks/disorders, and Rape