January 3, 2022
Bestseller Emezi (Freshwater) unpacks the ever-present weight of grief in this deeply emotional love story. It’s been five years since artist Feyi Adekola lost the love of her life, Jonah, in a car crash that still haunts her dreams. Now the 29-year-old hopes to create a new life in New York City, refocusing on her art and living comfortably with her best friend, Joy. A flirtatious-turned-sexual encounter with a stranger even convinces her to reconsider the possibility of companionship. Enter perfect gentleman Nasir Blake, who’s attentive, supportive of Feyi’s art, and understanding of her reluctance to get serious. When Nasir offers Feyi the opportunity to show her work at a gallery with a famous curator while on a luxury vacation with his family, her life finally starts to feel like her own again. But after Feyi meets Nasir’s famous chef father, Alim, she’s smitten with him, and no matter how inappropriate the infatuation may be, she can’t get him out of her mind. Emezi does a great job capturing the unavoidable mess as the complicated characters collide. Though the middle gets a bit winded and repetitive, there are some powerful revelations about loss and love along the way. This is sure to tug at readers’ heartstrings.
Starred review from September 1, 2022
National Book Award finalist Emezi (The Death of Vivek Oji) examines grief and the complexity of relationships and love in her latest novel. Feyi has focused on her art and herself during the five years since her husband's death in an automobile accident. With her best friend Joy's encouragement, Feyi rejoins the dating world and meets Nasir. Taken with her beauty and her art, Nasir brings Feyi to his home in the Caribbean, where she meets his father, celebrity chef Alim Blake. Feyi and Alim bond over the grief of losing a partner to death and fight their growing attraction. Bahni Turpin's narration aurally illustrates the sights, sounds, and tastes Feyi experiences. She embodies Feyi and the multitude of deep emotions the artist feels as she works through her grief and finds new love. Turpin's skill in switching between accents and characters and in capturing the range of emotions is commendable: from Feyi's grief, uncertainty, and desire to Nasir's anger and anguish along with Joy's over-the-top energy. VERDICT Flawlessly narrated by Turpin, this production is essential.--Amanda L. S. Murphy
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