Reviews tagging 'Schizophrenia/Psychosis '

Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi

52 reviews

grandiose_r's review against another edition

challenging emotional 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

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Rape, Misogyny, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual violence, Car accident, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Grief, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Suicide, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Self harm, Addiction, Blood, Medical content, and Body horror

Moderate: Death, Lesbophobia, Infertility, Racism, Gaslighting, Transphobia, Cultural appropriation, and Homophobia

Minor: Outing, Vomit, Cannibalism, Pedophilia, Kidnapping, Child abuse, and Confinement

poubelleboi's review against another edition

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.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Car accident, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Blood, Death, Grief, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Dysphoria, Lesbophobia, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Eating disorder, Abandonment, Abortion, Homophobia, and Infidelity

attackrat's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.25

This book was gorgeously religious. A deeply personal and yet very distanced conversation about metaphysical identity, trauma, and faith. The writing itself swayed in tune with story and it was a pleasure to read. I did find it abstract to the point of confusion at some times, but I see that more as a disconnect between perspectives than a lack of talent. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Sexual assault

perfectcupoftea's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad 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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Racism, and Transphobia

biggerpusherover's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Mental illness, Self harm, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, Blood, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, and Sexual content

cocorose's review against another edition

dark emotional tense 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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Dysphoria, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Sexual content, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Blood, Body shaming, and Drug use

Minor: Forced institutionalization, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual violence, Drug abuse, Sexual assault, Eating disorder, and Toxic relationship

lessoles's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Sexual violence, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Mental illness, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, and Alcohol

Minor: Eating disorder

bedtimesnack's review against another edition

dark 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

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, Self harm, and Rape

Moderate: Mental illness, Sexual content, Grief, Eating disorder, Car accident, Adult/minor relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Incest, Lesbophobia, and Blood

Minor: Outing, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, and Drug use

waybeyondblue's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark funny mysterious tense 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? Yes

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Dysphoria

Moderate: Sexual assault, Death, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Infidelity, and Body shaming

chandler_lane's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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

4.25

Freshwater was a truly amazing and tense book from the first beat.

Taking the form a an ogbanje narrator in the body of a girl named Ada the story starts off explaining how Ada is not really of herself but belongs to a god named Ala.

The ogbanje living inside of her could represent dissociative identity disorder from past traumas. We see the "birth" of her three ogbanje in the book called We, but only later learn of how they appeared from her traumas.

As we read more of the story we see the birth of Asughara, the "beastself" that protects Ada from the pain of her sexual assaults and sexual encounters.

We see Ada struggle with cutting, depression, body dysmorphia and more as she struggles to reconcile the multiple selves that exist inside her and her place in this realm.

Pulling from Ogbo spirituality the story does represent the other selves as true ogbanje and not as a representation or imaginative creation of Ada's

The story ends with Ada reconciling the importance of all the parts of her brain that live inside her, finally in control, and setting her place in the world.

Beautifully written and incredibly tense! I was surprised at how much chaos and strife was packed into such a short book from the get-go. It was also a really touching view of how these fractured selves protect people who have been through trauma and while maybe not healthy, that they do serve a purpose

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, and Suicide attempt