A review by shahana_bookquoting
Freshwater, by Akwaeke Emezi
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
wow! what a smashing debut! i don't know how to put into words how this book made me feel. this hit different than the books I've read recently. this had the wierdness of a Murakami book with all those magical realism-ish elements. I didn't expect to get a clear explanation or an answer in the end & i'm ok with it.
this book deals with some dark shit but the writing makes it oh so easy to get through it. usually when a book gets tough i keep it down & take a break from it, but not this one. i just wanted to keep reading it & the way it's written certainly helps.
is this a perfect book? no. it has it's flaws, the characters come off a little unclear at 1st & it takes some time to understand & get into it, & yeah some things are not very well explained by the end, but despite it's flaws it's nothing short of 5star read for me, cuz it achieved way more in 230 pages that some books are not able to achieve even in 500 pages.
this book deals with some dark shit but the writing makes it oh so easy to get through it. usually when a book gets tough i keep it down & take a break from it, but not this one. i just wanted to keep reading it & the way it's written certainly helps.
is this a perfect book? no. it has it's flaws, the characters come off a little unclear at 1st & it takes some time to understand & get into it, & yeah some things are not very well explained by the end, but despite it's flaws it's nothing short of 5star read for me, cuz it achieved way more in 230 pages that some books are not able to achieve even in 500 pages.
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, and Sexual content
Moderate: Transphobia, Death, Body shaming, and Child abuse