Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi

After the warmth received from the book, Finding me by Viola Davis; we decided to follow up with a fireball and controversial Nigerian fiction, Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi.

Summary

«Freshwater» by Akwaeke Emezi is a novel that intricately explores themes of identity, trauma, spirituality, and self-acceptance through the life of Ada, a Nigerian woman born with a chorus of divine gods and goddesses within her.

The narrative follows Ada’s journey from her childhood in Nigeria to her time in college in the USA, delving into her struggles with mental illness, trauma, and the complexities of her divine heritage. As Ada navigates her liminal existence between the human and divine realms, she grapples with issues of self-harm, abuse, gender identity, and the fluidity of her being.

Through encounters with various gods within her, including Ashughara and The We, Ada embarks on a profound journey of self-discovery and acceptance.

The novel challenges traditional notions of identity, spirituality, and gender while offering a unique perspective on the complexities of human existence. «Freshwater» is a powerful and haunting exploration of what it means to live in liminal spaces, defy categorization, and embrace one’s true self amidst adversity and trauma.

Daily Nuggets

Below are nuggets from our members:

Omo. This book ehn. I no too understand am sha. But on today’s nugget; For me, while the book is written in the context of spiritual realms and their interactions with each other. I’d like to look at it from another context of self-discovery. The life of Ada from birth, childhood, adolescence, and adulthood each trauma, joy, tears, laughter, love, and practically every experience she learned all geared her towards a path of self-discovery and acceptance. Well in my own opinion, self-discovery can come faster for some than others who later discover themselves much later on in life and accept who they are. That self-discovery and acceptance of one’s purpose comes with inner peace since there will be no conflict in oneself. – Bisola

Another one from Niyi:

It was a slow read initially for me. Currently not up to half yet but the book is multidimensional. For now I see a story of a young lady in a dysfunctional family. Growing up with some levels of delusion which I believe was her way of escaping reality. Touching across the areas of religion amongst other things. It’s actually nice learning about the ancient Ibo beliefs (Ala and the likes). I’m particularly interested in how it all ends; if the final verdict would be medical or spiritual. Many things to say about the book sha and many angles of understanding.

Lastly from Somtochukwu:

There are many ways of breaking a family and isolating a child – our brothersisters knew this. Saul, for example, cared more about himself, so he was never going to protect the Ada and he was too human to be any kind of threat to the brothersisters. After career setbacks in London, he had been happy to end up in Nigeria, where hewas hailed as a big man, coming from abroad with his Benz with the customized plates. He needed people to see him glow; he desired the glory of something. When Saul got his chieftaincy title, it was like he’d been dipped in silver, like he was finally as shiny as he wanted to be. He spent a lot of money on new things for himself, money that he refused to spend in other ways, like on his family. Saachi had to sew her traditional outfit for the ceremony out of an old sari. They’d fought over this and other things, like Saul refusing to buy things needed for the household.

Moral Lesson: It is not good to be stingy…Saul did not support the family though he had money.

Lessons Learnt

We asked our members, «what did the book, Freshwater teach you?»

• Self discovery. «Freshwater» emphasizes themes of self-acceptance, self-discovery, and the journey towards understanding one’s true nature amidst adversity and societal expectations.
• That sometimes the vices people embrace are because of many things going on within them that no one else can see.
• Hmm…basically that the human mind is volatile and fragile, be careful how you treat others and try as much not to be a source of pain which could trigger a lot of issues.
• It offers an exploration of trauma, mental health struggles, and the ways in which individuals cope with internal conflicts and external challenges.

Overall, «Freshwater» offers a thought-provoking exploration of identity, spirituality, trauma, and self-acceptance that encourages readers to reflect on the complexities of human existence and the multiplicity of selves within each individual.

Rating

Most members found the book to be a slow burn, however fascinating.

It was rated 3.5/5