Reviews tagging 'Medical content'

Aigua dolça by Akwaeke Emezi

52 reviews

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

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

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

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

jkbrx's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective 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? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Dysphoria

meganmagicmusings's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Medical content, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Rape

ktkeps's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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: Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Addiction, Death, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Grief, and Gaslighting

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

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

Minor: Drug use

khakipantsofsex's review against another edition

challenging slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Domestic abuse and Eating disorder

Minor: Gore, Homophobia, and Medical content

macknificent's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Grief, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Abandonment, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Acephobia/Arophobia, and Abandonment

Minor: Homophobia, Incest, Pedophilia, Medical content, and Lesbophobia

bookishplantmom's review against another edition

challenging emotional 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

5.0

This book was « terrifyingly beautiful ». Amezi blew me out of the water. This book is compelling, reflective, gut wrenching, beautiful and thoughtful. It follows Ada after/during/through traumatic events and focuses on the interiority of dealing with such this. I don’t wish to say too much about the plot because much of the story deserves to be experienced without preconceived notions. It is just stunning. I would say if you have read Butter Honey Pig Bread by Ekwuyasi you may very well enjoy this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Medical content

spinesinaline's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

Freshwater has been described as partially non-fiction because both author and character experience multiplicity (multiple personalities) and consider themselves as an ogbanje, a term from Igbo religion meaning a hostile spirit in a human body. It felt like such a creative way to illustrate this reality but knowing that this is the author’s own way of identifying helped it feel grounded as well.

This is an intense book. There are many traumatic events within, including graphic sexual assault, so do take care when reading this one. I found it a powerful story and interesting following the review above as the main character here feels a bit monstrous at times as she seeks to destroy or cope with her other selves. Very glad I finally started reading Emezi this year. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Blood, Suicide attempt, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Medical content