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Freshwater
- Narrated by: Akwaeke Emezi
- Length: 6 hrs and 42 mins
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Freshwater
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Summary
Longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction 2019
Feeling explodes through the language of this scalding novel, heralding the arrival of a fierce new literary voice.
Ada was born with one foot on the other side. Having prayed her into existence, her parents, Saul and Saachi, struggle to deal with the volatile and contradictory spirits peopling their troubled girl.
When Ada comes of age and heads to college, the entities within her grow in power and agency. An assault leads to a crystallization of her selves: Asughara and Saint Vincent. As Ada fades into the background of her own mind and these selves - now protective, now hedonistic - seize control of Ada, her life spirals in a dark and dangerous direction.
Narrated from the perspectives of the various selves within Ada, and based in the author's realities, Freshwater explores the metaphysics of identity and being.
The Pride List of Queer Storytelling
Critic reviews
"Sheer perfection: sexy, sensual, spiritual, wise. One of the most dazzling debuts I've ever read." (Taiye Selasi Guardian Best Books 2017)
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What listeners say about Freshwater
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Cree
- 30-06-19
rich, deep, absolute: a gift from the Emezi's
I haven't yet finished this book,
and it will take me a while. This book is so rich, such depth i am submerged in Akwaeke's words.
This family is full of gifts to give.
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Arlene Finnigan
- 03-07-19
Fascinating read
This is an intriguing read, and I have to admit I struggled to follow what was happening as I’m not familiar with the concept of the ogbanje. The writing is rich enough that I was happy to listen and let it wash over me when I wasn’t quite following it. A difficult but rewarding read.
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5 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Miss R Z Surman
- 29-03-24
Astonishing
I’ve never read anything like this before. It’s a brave and raw exposure of the conscious and the unconscious. I feel like the author has helped me understand the unanswerable, the many questions about what happens inside my mind. I love that she read it herself too, it added a whole layer of immersion.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Olivia Otamiri
- 27-02-20
INCREDIBLE
I was so captivated by this book. I love how it was written and love most that Akwaeke narrated it herself on audible. The igbo was fresh and the stories rang true! Shout out to all the Niger wive kids doing their thing!
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Onyieze
- 17-07-20
Wow!
I thoroughly enjoyed this piece of ambrosia...as an Igbo woman, I salute the story and the "other" perspective it offered. I felt like I'd listened to 5 hours of high quality poetry. This writer has a very illustrious future ahead of her; watch this space! Well done Akwaeze!
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Joanna L
- 26-11-20
Wonderful
Have read this twice and now listened on Audible, and I love it more each time. Beautiful and challenging.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mark Parkinson
- 24-06-21
Fascinating
loved it, all the way through
highly recommended. thank you for sharing
great listen
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 21-01-22
Good read
Finished this one in one go. Goes against my beliefs but happy to ready a different take on what seems like real life experience for the author?
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 08-08-19
Mindblowing seems a little on the nose..
This book is incredible in every way. The mood it maintains, the imagery of the mind it creates is fantastic. It's fiction with so much real life relatability. It's beyond creative. Just listen. Go buy and listen.
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6 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Wowbagger_The_Third
- 05-08-21
Amazing, original, beautiful, difficult
Loved this. Such a powerful and beautiful voice. I found it hard to follow initially, but the lyrical quality of the words made it easy to listen to and when I locked into it, I was blown away.
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1 person found this helpful