Hey, so I read Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi. It's an ethereal debut
that's wrought with the gods who make a room of their own in the depths of our minds.
So the story follows Ada as she navigates the birthing and the longings of her fractured selves.
Ada is one of three children born to her parents in Nigeria.
Her father is a prideful Igbo man who prayed to the gods for a daughter and her chosen mother from Malaysia,
bears the emotional burdens and the mental stresses of it. The Ada as the "brothersisters" refer to her is
the host body of sorts who experiences these traumatic relationships
and events, which are either the causes or the effects of her fractured selves.
I think it can be argued whether these selves or voices are offering solutions,
protection, or companionship,
but what's for certain is that they are disrupting the Ada's physical human experience and the relationships
she has outside of her mind. From her beginnings in Nigeria, to her life in America this story takes readers on a journey through sexuality,
rocky marriages, and
wrestles with the theme of
religion in a most nuanced way that makes you, as the reader, feel more attuned to the spiritual energies that are happening inside of yourself.
It's rather complicated and surreal and now that I'm out of the story. I'm finding it a bit of a challenge to actually explain
what's happening inside of the story without losing its essence.
But really the ultimate question seems to be can a fractured mind find harmony? Or, can Ada's human self truly
experience agency in the presence of gods? Throughout
The novel Ada's faith is shaken and strengthened; her behavior begs for compassion and discipline, and as she moves away from the god
she longs for and towards the gods of danger, mischief, and transitions
She's in this constant state of renewal by the transformations of her mind.
This book is a wonderful testament on mental health. I think the ambition of this debut
Is that Emezi generously offers readers moments in her own biography while finely crafting this imaginative
experience that helps us feel and understand what it's like to live navigating different worlds.
There's a certain beauty in the madness that this book expresses in that the human body, the mind, and the spirit are
biologically and divinely
interconnected. This novel absorbed me in so many ways and I am highly
anticipating the conversations that will be had when it's published in February. Until then share in the comments below some of your favorite
recommendations on books that tackle mental health and share any thoughts you have on mental health in literature. As always,
thank you so much for watching and until next time remember to read or be read. I'll talk to you soon. Bye.
