Exploring Identity

 Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi

Crest mask, Southeast Nigeria, Ismoon (talk) 19:57, 21 April 2019 (UTC), CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons 

I started reading Freshwater shortly after the birth of my daughter, and at the time, it was a little too traumatic for me to read about some of the events. I think I got about 50 pages in or so, and I just had to put it down. Since the book was from the library, I didn’t get around to checking it out again until about 4 years later, and I am glad that I did. While the book wasn’t always enjoyable, it definitely conveys feelings and emotions in the same way that Toni Morrison’s books are important but challenging to read. I also think that the frequent mention of mutilation and spirits that needed to be appeased reminded me a lot of Beloved. I was also fascinated by the author’s portrayal of individuals who traverse different cultures and the ways that they navigate these different cultures. I wondered whether Emezi was suggesting that globalization and cross cultural pressures possibly cause mental illness or a kind of split. In any event, this book is important, but it is not an easy read.