Freshwater
Freshwater
AuthorAkwaeke Emezi
CountryNigeria
LanguageEnglish
GenreFiction, Autobiography
PublisherGrove Press
Publication date
13 February 2018
ISBN9780802128997

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]

Plot

Freshwater tells the semi-autobiographical story of the protagonist, The Ada, who seems to be a Nigerian student in her final year of college. The Ada is a collective of spirits with different characteristics that inhabit a body that has been named Ada that the spirits call “The Ada”.The Ada is considered an Obanje which is an evil spirit that Igbo people believe in. These obanje children are said to live and extravagant and exciting life only to torture its parents with it’s repeated death and rebirth. Unlike a normal obanje The Ada does not die in childhood but instead lives on tortured by the confines of a human form. Through their childhood and time in college The Ada experiences sexual and emotional trauma that elicit changes in their gender expression and sexuality. This leads to an inevitable queering of The Ada as the book goes on. The Ada eventually learns to live in harmony with the desires of Ada the host body, and the spirits that live within. Freshwater is a tale of self acceptance, adaptation, and coming out, as The Ada goes through a journey of hardship and discovery to learn about their gender and sexuality through out the book.


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]

Reception

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]

Controversy

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]

Awards

Adaptation

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]

References

  1. 1 2 "In 'Freshwater,' A College Student Learns To Live With Separate Selves". NPR.org. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  2. ↑ "Akwaeke Emezi: 'I'd read everything – even the cereal box'". the Guardian. 2018-10-20. Retrieved 2022-04-12.
  3. 1 2 Mzezewa, Tariro (2018-02-26). "In This Debut Novel, a College Student Hears Voices". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  4. 1 2 Waldman, Katy (2018-02-26). "A Startling Début Novel Explores the Freedom of Being Multiple". ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  5. 1 2 3 Otterson, Joe (2019-05-22). "FX to Develop Series Adaptation of Akwaeke Emezi's 'Freshwater' With Tamara P. Carter (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2022-04-12.
  6. 1 2 Simon, Jordan. "'Freshwater': FX Developing Series Adaptation Based On Akwaeke Emezi's Acclaimed Debut Novel". Shadow and Act. Retrieved 2022-04-12.
  7. ↑ Adébáyò, Ayòbámi (2018-11-15). "Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi review – a remarkable debut". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  8. ↑ Straight, Susan (16 February 2018). "A dazzling, devastating novel: 'Freshwater' by Akwaeke Emezi". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  9. ↑ "The Brooklyn Public Library Literary Prize". www.bklynlibrary.org. 2017-03-20. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  10. ↑ "100 Notable Books of 2018". The New York Times. 2018-11-19. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  11. ↑ Waldman, Katy (2018-12-04). "The Best Books of 2018". ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  12. ↑ "NPR's Book Concierge Our Guide To 2018's Great Reads". apps.npr.org. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  13. ↑ Schaub, Michael (2018-09-24). "National Book Foundation unveils this year's '5 Under 35' picks". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  14. ↑ Cain, Sian (2019-03-04). "Non-binary trans author nominated for Women's prize for fiction". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-03-27.
  15. ↑ "Opinion: Be careful before celebrating the recognition of Akwaeke Emezi". The Independent. 2019-03-06. Retrieved 2020-03-10.
  16. ↑ Wood, Heloise. "Women's Prize to formulate new policy around gender criteria". TheBookSeller.com. Retrieved 2020-03-21.
  17. ↑ Phiri, Aretha. "Adichie and Emezi: ignore the noise, pay attention to the conversation". The Conversation. Retrieved 2021-12-09.
  18. ↑ "'It is obscene': Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie pens blistering essay against social media sanctimony". The Guardian. 2021-06-16. Retrieved 2021-09-01.
  19. ↑ "Nommo 2019: Novel Nominations - African Speculative Fiction Society". www.africansfs.com. Archived from the original on 2020-06-09. Retrieved 2020-05-31.
  20. ↑ Lothian, Alexis (2020-04-11). "Akwaeke Emezi wins 2019 Otherwise Award! Honor List Announced « Otherwise Award". Otherwise Award. Retrieved 2020-05-31.
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