![]() Freshwater | |
Author | Akwaeke Emezi |
---|---|
Country | Nigeria |
Language | English |
Genre | Fiction, Autobiography |
Publisher | Grove Press |
Publication date | 13 February 2018 |
ISBN | 9780802128997 |
Freshwater is a 2018 autobiographical fiction novel by Nigerian writer Akwaeke Emezi. [1] [2] [3] Emezi's debut novel, it tells the story of Ada, a girl with multiple ogbanje dwelling inside her. [4] A TV series based on the novel is under development by FX. [5] [6]
Freshwater tells the semi-autobiographical story of the protagonist, known to the reader as 'The Ada'. The main narratorial voice of the novel is an ogbanje, a deity from Igbo religion, that occupies the Ada, and manifests in multiple distinct and characterised personalities, both helpful and antagonistic.
The plot follows a fragmented account of the Ada's life. The first main segment of the novel discusses the Ada's birth and the nature of the ogbanje, followed by a general account of her childhood in Nigeria, narrated in plural first person by the dormant ogbanje living inside her. Following her childhood, the Ada moves to the United States to study biology, where her first college boyfriend, Soren, repeatedly rapes her. The trauma of this event causes the dormant ogbanje to change inside her, leading to the development of a unique personality known as Asughara, who acts antagonistically to the Ada's body in the favour of the ogbanje spirit that resides inside her. At the same time, another personality known as St Vincent emerges, with an emphasis on masculinity, including binding and eventually undergoing top sugery. Following the emergence of these unique ogbanje personalities, there is a constant struggle for control over the Ada's life, the outcome of which includes self harm, exploration of sexuality and gender identity, and experimentation with intoxication. The plot climaxes as Asughara attempts to kill the Ada, which is seen as both murder from one personality to another, and also as suicide. The attempt fails, and after the Ada's hospitalisation, she travels back to Nigeria for the closing action of the story, where she is seen to by a priest. In the final section of the novel, the Ada reflects on her personalities and the nature of the ogbanje in an introspective manner, as she gains a sense of wholeness to her identity.
The story of Freshwater is broken up and fragmented through both time and narratorial voice. The narrator often changes between chapter, between the initial first person plural of the ogbanje, Asughara, St Vincent, and eventually the Ada herself, who doesn't gain a voice in her own story until well into the novel. The organisation of the story within the novel is arranged so that the action is more centred around the ogbanje's journey and conflict than the Ada's.
Emezi explores their Igbo heritage's views on spirituality and gender roles alongside those of Western construction and invites their audience to think critically about this spirit/body binary. [3] [1]
The New Yorker called Freshwater "a startling début novel"; [4] The Guardian called it "a remarkable debut"; [7] and the LA Times called it "dazzling". [8] Freshwater was longlisted for numerous significant awards. [9] Freshwater was a New York Times Notable Book, [10] was named a Best Book of the Year by the New Yorker [11] and NPR. [12] Emezi is also recognized as a 2018 National Book Foundation "5 Under 35" honoree. [13]
In 2019, Freshwater was nominated for the Women's Prize for Fiction — the first time a non-binary transgender author has been nominated for the prize. Kate Williams, the chair of the judges, called it a "historic moment". Williams said that the panel did not know Emezi was non-binary when the book was chosen, but she said Emezi was happy to be nominated. [14] Non-binary commentator Vic Parsons wrote that the nomination raised uncomfortable questions, asking: "would a non-binary author who was assigned male at birth have been longlisted? I highly doubt it." [15] After the nomination, it was announced that the Women's Prize Trust was working on new guidelines for transgender, non-binary, and genderfluid authors. [16]
After Emezi posted tweets regarding Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's association with transphobic public figures, [17] Adichie (who had previously helped publish Emezi's work in an online magazine) asked that all references to her name be removed from the "about the author" section of the book jacket on all future copies of Freshwater. [18]
In May 2019, news announced that the novel was optioned by FX for a TV series adaptation. [5] Emezi will write the screenplay and executive produce the series with Tamara P. Carter. FX Productions will produce it alongside Kevin Wandell and Lindsey Donahue. [6] [5]
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is a Nigerian writer, novelist, poet, essayist, and playwright of postcolonial feminist literature. She is the author of the award-winning novels Purple Hibiscus (2003), Half of a Yellow Sun (2006) and Americanah (2013). Her other works include the book essays We Should All Be Feminists (2014); Dear Ijeawele, or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions (2017); a memoir tribute to her father, Notes on Grief (2021); and a children's book, Mama's Sleeping Scarf (2023).
Umuahia is the capital city of Abia State in southeastern Nigeria. Umuahia is located along the rail road that lies between Port Harcourt to its south,and Enugu city to its north. Umuahia has a population of 359,230 according to the 2006 Nigerian census. Umuahia is indigenously Igbo.
Nigerian literature may be roughly defined as the literary writing by citizens of the nation of Nigeria for Nigerian readers, addressing Nigerian issues. This encompasses writers in a number of languages, including not only English but Igbo, Urhobo, Yoruba, and in the northern part of the county Hausa and Nupe. More broadly, it includes British Nigerians, Nigerian Americans and other members of the African diaspora.
An ọgbanje is a term in Odinani for what was thought to be an evil spirit that would deliberately plague a family with misfortune. Belief in ọgbanje in Igboland is not as strong as it once was, although there are still some believers.
Kachifo Limited is an independent publishing house based in Lagos, Nigeria. It was founded in 2004 by Muhtar Bakare. Its imprints include Farafina Books, Farafina Educational, and Prestige Books. From 2004 to 2009, it published the influential Farafina Magazine.
Purple Hibiscus is a novel written by the Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Her debut novel, it was first published by Algonquin Books in 2003.
Half of a Yellow Sun is a novel by Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Published in 2006 by 4th Estate in London, the novel tells the story of the Biafran War through the perspective of the characters Olanna, Ugwu, and Richard.
The Thing Around Your Neck is a short-story collection by Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, first published in April 2009 by Fourth Estate in the UK and by Knopf in the US. It received many positive reviews, including: "She makes storytelling seem as easy as birdsong" ; "Stunning. Like all fine storytellers, she leaves us wanting more".
The Women's Prize for Fiction is one of the United Kingdom's most prestigious literary prizes. It is awarded annually to a female author of any nationality for the best original full-length novel written in English and published in the United Kingdom in the preceding year. A sister prize, the Women's Prize for Non-Fiction, was launched in 2023.
Americanah is a 2013 novel by the Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, for which Adichie won the 2013 U.S. National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction. Americanah tells the story of a young Nigerian woman, Ifemelu, who immigrates to the United States to attend university. The novel traces Ifemelu's life in both countries, threaded by her love story with high school classmate Obinze. It was Adichie's third novel, published on May 14, 2013, by Alfred A. Knopf.
Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀ is a Nigerian writer. Her 2017 debut novel, Stay With Me, won the 9mobile Prize for Literature and the Prix Les Afriques. She was awarded The Future Awards Africa Prize for Arts and Culture in 2017.
Dear Ijeawele, or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions is an epistolary form manifesto written by Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Dear Ijeawele was posted on her official Facebook page on October 12, 2016, was subsequently adapted into a book, and published in print on March 7, 2017. Before becoming a book, Dear Ijeawele was a personal e-mail written by Adichie in response to her friend, "Ijeawele", who had asked Adichie's advice on how to raise her daughter as a feminist. The result of this e-mail correspondence is the extended, 62-page Dear Ijeawele manifesto, written in the form of a letter. While the manifesto was written to a female friend, the work's audience scope has been recognized to extend beyond only the mothers of daughters.
Akwaeke Emezi is a Nigerian fiction writer and video artist, best known for their novels Freshwater, Pet, and their New York Times bestselling novel The Death of Vivek Oji. Emezi is a generalist who writes speculative fiction, romance, memoir and poetry for both young adults and adults with mostly LGBT themes. Their work has earned them several awards and nominations including the Otherwise Award and Commonwealth Short Story Prize. In 2021, Time featured them as a Next Generation Leader.
Yejide Kilanko is a Nigerian Canadian fiction writer and social worker. She is known for addressing violence against women in her work. Her debut novel, Daughters Who Walk This Path, was a Canadian fiction bestseller in 2012.
Pet is a 2019 young adult fantasy/speculative fiction novel by Nigerian non-binary author Akwaeke Emezi. It was followed by a prequel Bitter, released in 2022.
The Death of Vivek Oji is a 2020 fiction novel by Nigerian author Akwaeke Emezi. It was published on 4 August 2020 by Riverhead books, it narrates the life of Vivek Oji until his death. It is Emezi's second adult novel after Freshwater and the book received critical attention and was an instant New York Times best seller.
These Ghosts are Family is a historical fiction novel by Maisy Card, published March 3, 2020 by Simon & Schuster.
You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty is a 2022 romance novel by Nigerian writer Akwaeke Emezi. It is Emezi's first romance novel, third adult novel and it follows Feyi Adekola, a Nigerian American visual artist as she heals from the trauma of widowhood and finds new love.
Zikora is a short story (2020) written by Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie with other various literary works like Purple Hibiscus, Half of a Yellow Sun, and Americanah. This novel is an engaging story about a woman who reflects on the current state of her life as she is about to have a baby without a Spouse.