This is one of my favorite novels of the year–yes, I can already tell. Emezi explores fluidity and a fractured life from the perspective of Ibgo gods and goddesses that control our narrator’s body in turn. I already need to read it again.
—Shawn, Elliott Bay Book Company, Seattle, WA
Akwaeke Emezi has crafted a powerful debut in Freshwater. Ada, a Nigerian girl brought into existence by her father’s prayers, is unique. She is inhabited by nebulous forces with many names from beyond mortal realms that, once awakened, take the shape of spirits living in her mind. They pull her life in dangerous directions out of both love and spite. We follow her, and the spirits that embody and own her, as she comes of age and attempts to reconcile her sense of self with the occupants sharing her body. Freshwater is as wrenching and unsettling as it is stunning and beautiful. There’s a reason no one can stop talking about this novel.
—Amy, Elliott Bay Book Company, Seattle, WA
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