Freshwater

Written by Akwaeke Emezi

A young woman battles her fragmented selves after a traumatic event alters her reality.

4.0/5 Goodreads · 37,966 ratings

240 pages

$16.00Save 5%

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Bookroo's summary

Ada, a young Nigerian woman, grapples with multiple selves that emerge within her. As she moves to America for college, a traumatic incident triggers these identities to take control, leaving Ada to fade into the background. With her mind divided, Ada must navigate the dangerous power of her alters, each with its own agenda. Can she reclaim her life, or will these selves consume her entirely? Freshwater is a gripping exploration of identity and mental health, where the boundaries of self are as fluid as they are perilous.

From the publisher

A National Book Foundation “5 Under 35” Honoree Finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award for a Debut Novel Shortlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize A New York Times Notable BookThe astonishing debut novel from the acclaimed bestselling author of The Death of Vivek Oji, You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty, and Pet, Freshwater tells the story of Ada, an unusual child who is a source of deep concern to her southern Nigerian family. Young Ada is troubled, prone to violent fits. Born “with one foot on the other side,” she begins to develop separate selves within her as she grows into adulthood. And when she travels to America for college, a traumatic event on campus crystallizes the selves into something powerful and potentially dangerous, making Ada fade into the background of her own mind as these alters–now protective, now hedonistic–move into control. Written with stylistic brilliance and based in the author’s realities, Freshwater dazzles with ferocious energy and serpentine grace.

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