Following a traumatic event in her late teens, the aggressive and prurient Asughara takes over from We as protector of Ada’s fragile heart. It’s on this foundation that Akwaeke Emezi’s autobiographical debut novel rests.Īda walks the razor’s edge between life and the afterlife, swayed by the whims of her spirits. Regarded as half-human, half-spirit, they’re cut at death to prevent their return, and those who do bear the scars. In Igbo cosmology, ogbanje are children prone to die young only to come back again, and invariably plague their family with grief. Meanwhile, Ada resorts to cutting herself to appease them since gods generally demand a blood sacrifice. “We did not mean to hurt the Ada but we had an oath and our brothersisters were pulling at us, shouting at us to come back,” they explain. “We” feature prominently in the early phases of her life, driving Ada to bursts of anger while restlessly awaiting their return to the other side. The story is narrated by three spirits (multiple personalities?), with minimal input from their human host. It takes neat, impressive dips into the spiritual, exploring the inner workings of Ada, an ogbanje. Freshwater is interesting in unusual ways.
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