A review by robyn1998
Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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? It's complicated

3.0

Not sure about this one. I started off blown away by the writing style - I'm not sure if the writing got worse or I just got used to it, but by the time it finished it felt more like amateur Tumblr poetry. As I've previously said I'm sick of the 'seductress whose sexuality is her power' trope because I don't think it's a good reflection of power dynamics in relationships. I did find the overall story quite evocative though, and I haven't read something that fills me with such a sense of foreboding in a while (probably since I read Wrecked by Charlotte Roche). 
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