Freshwater

A National Book Foundation "5 Under 35" Honoree
Finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award for a Debut Novel
Shortlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize
A New York Times Notable Book

The astonishing debut novel from the acclaimed bestselling author of The Death of Vivek Oji, You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty, and Pet.

Freshwater tells the story of Ada, an unusual child who is a source of deep concern to her southern Nigerian family. Young Ada is troubled, prone to violent fits. Born "with one foot on the other side," she begins to develop separate selves within her as she grows into adulthood. And when she travels to America for college, a traumatic event on campus crystallizes the selves into something powerful and potentially dangerous, making Ada fade into the background of her own mind as these alters--now protective, now hedonistic--move into control.

Written with stylistic brilliance and based in the author's realities, Freshwater dazzles with ferocious energy and serpentine grace.

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Published Dec 18, 2018

240 pages

Average rating: 7.3

106 RATINGS

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What Bookclubbers are saying about this book

✨ Summarized by Bookclubs AI

Readers say *Freshwater* by Akwaeke Emezi is a stunning, visceral, and emotionally powerful exploration of identity, spirituality, and mental health. ...

ajhughes19

Mar 01, 2021

7/10 stars

A tale of self discovery that borders on extremely intense reality and dances with a bit of the religious and mythological all at once. Not a story for the faint of heart but very well written and a gut-wrenching journey.

_sweaty_

Jan 28, 2026

9/10 stars

*I have never written book reviews before, but its part of my new year's resolutions so this is probably clunky!* I can understand why readers have such polarizing experience of this book. It's stunning, compelling, and also deeply challenging. It's a novel unlike any novel I've read before, perhaps because it is semi-autobiographical in nature, which I think shows in the narration. I'm excited to read more Emezi.

StephGold

Jan 06, 2026

8/10 stars

First, the writing is absolutely stunning. I love how this author uses sensory description in such a way that it feels visceral to the reader. The narrative style is also really interesting and compelling, however I bet it would have been better if I had read this as a physical book rather than listening to the audiobook.

that said, it was sometimes disjointed and a bit confusing as the story jumps timelines and begins what feels like a new storyline that never gets picked back up again. I would have liked a fuller, richer narrative of the content and not just the experiential descriptions.

Anne Phillips

Jan 03, 2026

10/10 stars

BEST BOOK I'VE READ IN A LOOOONG TIME

Gias_BookHaven

Dec 30, 2025

8/10 stars

Intense. Raw. Unyieldingly heartbreaking and emotional. I wonder if there's connection to mythology in this story. The links to mental health, identity and trauma the effects on the MC's life since conception made this story impactful. Full review to come.