Akwaeke Emezi
About Akwaeke Emezi
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A dazzling, devastating novel: 'Freshwater' by Akwaeke Emezi
There is a devastating moment in “Freshwater,” the debut novel by Akwaeke Emezi, when the main character known as Ada gives herself over completely to the ...
A Startling Début Novel Explores the Freedom of Being Multiple ...
Katy Waldman writes that “Freshwater,” Akwaeke Emezi's début novel, is a study in dysphoria that explores the paradox of trying to trace a self that is defined by ...
Books by Akwaeke Emezi
“Dear Senthuran: A Black Spirit Memoir” (2021)
Dear Senthuran: A Black Spirit Memoir
“The Death Of Vivek Oji” (2020)
This Is The Tale Of Vivek Oji. It Begins With His End, His Naked Body Shrouded On His Mother's Doorstep, And Moves Backwards Through Time To Unpick The Story Of His Life And The Mystery Surrounding His Death. As Compulsively Readable As It Is Tender And Potent, This Is A Fresh, Engaging Novel About The Innocence Of Youth And How It Clashes With Culture And Expectation. The Death Of Vivek Oji Is The Story Of A Nigerian Childhood Quite Different From Those We Have Been Told Before, As Emezi's Writing Speaks To The Truth Of Realities Other Than Those That Have Already Been Seen. 'emezi's Surreal Prose Shines . . . Extraordinary.' Ayobami Adebayo, On Freshwater
“Freshwater” (2018)
An extraordinary debut novel, Freshwater explores the surreal experience of having a fractured self. It centers around a young Nigerian woman, Ada, who develops separate selves within her as a result of being born "with one foot on the other side." Unsettling, heartwrenching, dark, and powerful, Freshwater is a sharp evocation of a rare way of experiencing the world, one that illuminates how we all construct our identities.Ada begins her life in the south of Nigeria as a troubled baby and a source of deep concern to her family. Her parents, Saul and Saachi, successfully prayed her into existence, but as she grows into a volatile and splintered child, it becomes clear that something went terribly awry. When Ada comes of age and moves to America for college, the group of selves within her grows in power and agency. A traumatic assault leads to a crystallization of her alternate selves: Asụghara and Saint Vincent. As Ada fades into the background of her own mind and these selves―now protective, now hedonistic―move into control, Ada's life spirals in a dark and dangerous direction.Narrated from the perspective of the various selves within Ada, and based in the author's realities, Freshwater explores the metaphysics of identity and mental health, plunging the reader into the mystery of being and self. Freshwater dazzles with ferocious energy and serpentine grace, heralding the arrival of a fierce new literary voice.
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