 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, 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]
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]