Akwaeke Emezi

Uuden kirjallisen lupauksen ylistetty romaaniEräänä päivänä nigerialaisessa kylässä äiti löytää ovensa edestä poikansa ruumiin. Tapahtuma käynnistää tarinan erään perheen yrityksistä ymmärtää lastaan ja tämän elämän mysteeriä. Etäisen isän ja ylisuojelevan äidin kasvattama poika kärsii oudoista muistinmenetyksistä, joiden aikana hän kadottaa otteensa itsestään ja todellisuudesta. Kuka Vivek oikeastaan oli? Otteessaan pitävä tarina ja unohtumattomat henkilöhahmot tekevät Vivek Ojin kuolemasta romaanin, jota on vaikea laskea käsistään. Se on dramaattinen kertomus perheestä ja ystävyydestä, menetyksestä ja siitä, mitä emme pysty näkemään. Vivek Ojin kuolema on ollut valtaisa arvostelumenestys, ja se nousi suoraan The New York Timesin bestseller-listalle. Teos on Emezin toinen julkaistu aikuisten romaani. Akwaeke Emezi (s. 1987) on nigerialaistaustainen kirjailija ja videotaiteilija, joka asuu nykyään Yhdysvalloissa. Emezi on ehtinyt menestyksekkään kirjailijanuransa aikana kahmia tunnustuksia, palkintoja ja ehdokkuuksia.

A Good Morning America Buzz Pick INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER "Electrifying." -- O: The Oprah Magazine Named a Best Book of 2020 by The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR, USA TODAY, Vanity Fair, Elle, Harper's Bazaar, Marie Claire, Shondaland, Teen Vogue, Vulture, Lit Hub, Bustle, Electric Literature, and BookPage What does it mean for a family to lose a child they never really knew? One afternoon, in a town in southeastern Nigeria, a mother opens her front door to discover her son's body, wrapped in colorful fabric, at her feet. What follows is the tumultuous, heart-wrenching story of one family's struggle to understand a child whose spirit is both gentle and mysterious. Raised by a distant father and an understanding but overprotective mother, Vivek suffers disorienting blackouts, moments of disconnection between self and surroundings. As adolescence gives way to adulthood, Vivek finds solace in friendships with the warm, boisterous daughters of the Nigerwives, foreign-born women married to Nigerian men. But Vivek's closest bond is with Osita, the worldly, high-spirited cousin whose teasing confidence masks a guarded private life. As their relationship deepens--and Osita struggles to understand Vivek's escalating crisis--the mystery gives way to a heart-stopping act of violence in a moment of exhilarating freedom. Propulsively readable, teeming with unforgettable characters, The Death of Vivek Oji is a novel of family and friendship that challenges expectations--a dramatic story of loss and transcendence that will move every reader.

Erityislaatuisen kirjailijan synkkä ja taidokas esikoisromaani sirpaloituneesta minuudesta Akwaeke Emezin ylistetyssä esikoisromaanissa nuori nigerialainen nainen Ada luo useita erillisiä minuuksia itselleen. Makeaa vettä on häiritsevä, synkkä, koskettava ja voimakas kasvukertomus ja kuvaus harvinaisesta tavasta kokea maailma - sellaisesta, joka valaisee meidän kaikkien tapaa rakentaa identiteettimme. Adan kova elämä alkaa eteläisessä Nigeriassa. Hän on vastaus vanhempiensa Saulin ja Saachin rukouksiin mutta aiheuttaa syvää huolta perheelleen kasvaessaan epävakaaksi ja särkyneeksi lapseksi, ja on selvää, että jokin on mennyt pahasti vikaan. Kun Ada muuttaa Yhdysvaltoihin opiskelemaan, hänen sisällään oleva joukko minuuksia alkaa ottaa lisää tilaa ja valtaa. Traumaattinen kokemus tiivistää nämä kahteen vaihoehtoiseen minään, Asugharaan ja Saint Vincentiin. Adan haihtuessa oman mielensä perukoille ja näiden toisinaan suojelevaisten, toisinaan rappiollisten minuuksien ottessa kontrollin hänen elämänsä syöksyy vaaralliseen ja synkkään suuntaan. Makeaa vettä on kirjailijan omiin todellisuuksiin perustuva, Adan monien minuuksien näkökulmasta kerrottu tarina, jonka hurja voima ja viehkeys ovat keränneet maailmalla runsaasti kiitosta. Akwaeke Emezi (s. 1987) on nigerialaistaustainen kirjailija ja videotaiteilija, joka asuu nykyään Yhdysvalloissa. Emezi on ehtinyt menestyksekkään kirjailijanuransa aikana kahmia tunnustuksia, palkintoja ja ehdokkuuksia teoksistaan Makeaa vettä ja Vivek Ojin kuolema. Hän on kirjoittanut myös kehutun nuortenromaanin Pet.

NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST - STONEWALL BOOK AWARD WINNER - ONE OF TIME MAGAZINE'S 100 BEST YA BOOKS OF ALL TIME NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR by The New York Times - Time - Buzzfeed - NPR - New York Public Library - Publishers Weekly - School Library Journal - A KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST YOUNG ADULT BOOK OF THE CENTURYA genre-defying novel from the award-winning author NPR describes as "like Madeline] L'Engle...glorious." A singular book that explores themes of identity and justice. Pet is here to hunt a monster. Are you brave enough to look? There are no monsters anymore, or so the children in the city of Lucille are taught. Jam and her best friend, Redemption, have grown up with this lesson all their life. But when Jam meets Pet, a creature made of horns and colors and claws, who emerges from one of her mother's paintings and a drop of Jam's blood, she must reconsider what she's been told. Pet has come to hunt a monster, and the shadow of something grim lurks in Redemption's house. Jam must fight not only to protect her best friend, but also to uncover the truth, and the answer to the question--How do you save the world from monsters if no one will admit they exist? A riveting and timely young adult debut novel that asks difficult questions about what choices you can make when the society around you is in denial. " A] beautiful, genre-expanding debut" -The New York Times "The word hype was invented to describe books like this." -Refinery29

»Sötvatten är ren perfektion: sexig, sensuell, spirituell, klok. En av de mest bländande debutromaner jag någonsin läst.« Taiye Selasi, The GuardianAda är ett annorlunda barn. Inom sig hör hon röster som utger sig komma från barn till guden Ala, vars världsliga manifestation var den pytonorm som hennes pappa en dag hade ihjäl i deras hem. Alas barn talar till henne med en röst, som ett vi, och Ada förstår att de är ogbanje onda andar som är ute efter att plåga henne och hennes familj. När Ada blir äldre och flyttar till USA för att gå på college framträder efter en traumatisk händelse ytterligare en röst, och den här gången kan hon inte stå emot: hon leds in på en mörk och destruktiv stig, med sin kropp som både vapen och sköld. Sötvatten utforskar på ett alldeles eget sätt en ung människas kamp med och långsamma accepterande av att leva med flera identiter. Romanen baseras på Emezis egna erfarenheter, men berättas fram genom Adas inre röster. »En extraordinärt kraftfull och väldigt annorlunda fysisk och psykologisk migrationsberättelse.« Edwidge Danticat, New YorkerAkwaeke Emezi föddes 1987 och växte upp i staden Aba i sydöstra Nigeria med en far från igbofolket och en mor från Malaysia. Sötvatten är hens debutroman och en av de senaste årens mest uppmärksammade debutromaner i den engelskspråkiga världen. Romanen nominerades till ett flertal litteraturpriser bland annat till Women's Prize for Fiction som första bok skriven av en icke-binär författare och hyllades av såväl kritiker och läsare som av otaliga författarkollegor. För tillfället håller romanen på att produceras som TV-serie i USA, med Emezi själv som manusförfattare. Idag lever hen i New Orleans. Helena Hansson är översättare från engelska och danska. Hon har tidigare översatt bland andra Toni Morrison, Roxane Gay och Rebecca Solnit.» Det finns läsupplevelser som lämnar en i ett slags kreativ förvirring. Akwaeke Emezis Sötvatten är en sådan roman. Likt en häst i åskväder slår texten bakut mot mina litterära och psykologiska referensramar. I stället etablerar den frankt sina egna premisser: så här kan en självbiografisk roman också skrivas, så här kan ett liv förklara sig självt!«Amelie Björck i Aftonbladet»Den känns inte riktigt mänsklig utan stinker liv, död och uråldrig magi. Akwaeke Emezi har skrivit en vidunderlig roman.«Andrea Lundgren i Göteborgs-Posten

How do you save the world from monsters if no one will admit they exist? She stumbled backwards, her eyes wide, as the figure started coming out of the canvas... She tried to be brave. Well, she said, her hands only a little shaky, at least tell me what I should call you.... Well, little girl, it replied, I suppose you can call me Pet. There are no more monsters anymore, or so the children in the city of Lucille are taught. With doting parents and a best friend named Redemption, Jam has grown up with this lesson all her life. But when she meets Pet, a creature made of horns and colours and claws, who emerges from one of her mother's paintings and a drop of Jam's blood, she must reconsider what she's been told. Pet has come to hunt a monster, and the shadow of something grim lurks in Redemption's house. Jam must fight not only to protect her best friend, but also to uncover the truth. In their riveting and timely young adult debut, acclaimed novelist Akwaeke Emezi asks difficult questions about what choices a young person can make when the adults around them are in denial.'Beautiful, genre-expanding' The New York Times'Compelling... a wonderful mix of fantasy, dystopian drama, political commentary and a coming of age tale that is sure to grip any reader' The Scotsman'The word hype was invented to describe books like this' Refinery29

Pet is here to hunt a monster. Are you brave enough to look? There are no monsters anymore, or so the children in the city of Lucille are taught. Jam and her best friend, Redemption, have grown up with this lesson all their life. But when Jam meets Pet, a creature made of horns and colors and claws, who emerges from one of her mother's paintings and a drop of Jam's blood, she must reconsider what she's been told. Pet has come to hunt a monster, and the shadow of something grim lurks in Redemption's house. Jam must fight not only to protect her best friend, but also to uncover the truth, and the answer to the question--How do you save the world from monsters if no one will admit they exist? In their riveting and timely young adult debut, acclaimed novelist Akwaeke Emezi asks difficult questions about what choices you can make when the society around you is in denial.

NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST - STONEWALL BOOK AWARD WINNER - ONE OF TIME MAGAZINE'S 100 BEST YA BOOKS OF ALL TIME NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR by The New York Times - Time - Buzzfeed - NPR - New York Public Library - Publishers Weekly - School Library Journal - A KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST YOUNG ADULT BOOK OF THE CENTURYA genre-defying novel from the award-winning author NPR describes as "like Madeline] L'Engle...glorious." A singular book that explores themes of identity and justice. Pet is here to hunt a monster. Are you brave enough to look? There are no monsters anymore, or so the children in the city of Lucille are taught. Jam and her best friend, Redemption, have grown up with this lesson all their life. But when Jam meets Pet, a creature made of horns and colors and claws, who emerges from one of her mother's paintings and a drop of Jam's blood, she must reconsider what she's been told. Pet has come to hunt a monster, and the shadow of something grim lurks in Redemption's house. Jam must fight not only to protect her best friend, but also to uncover the truth, and the answer to the question--How do you save the world from monsters if no one will admit they exist? A riveting and timely young adult debut novel that asks difficult questions about what choices you can make when the society around you is in denial. " A] beautiful, genre-expanding debut" -The New York Times "The word hype was invented to describe books like this." -Refinery29

'Completely blew me away.' Daisy Johnson, author of Everything Under 'One of the most dazzling debuts I've ever read.' Taiye Selasi, author of Ghana Must Go 'I'm urging everyone to read it.' Sophie Mackintosh, author of The Water Cure Ada has always been unusual. Her parents prayed her into existence, but something must have gone awry. Their troubled child begins to develop separate selves and is prone to fits of anger and grief. When Ada grows up and heads to college in America, a traumatic event crystallises the selves into something more powerful. As Ada fades into the background of her own mind, these 'alters' - now protective, now hedonistic - take control, shifting her life in a dangerous direction.

A National Book Foundation "5 Under 35" Honoree Finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award for a Debut Novel Shortlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize A New York Times Notable Book One of the most highly praised novels of the year, the debut from an astonishing young writer, Freshwater tells the story of Ada, an unusual child who is a source of deep concern to her southern Nigerian family. Young Ada is troubled, prone to violent fits. Born "with one foot on the other side," she begins to develop separate selves within her as she grows into adulthood. And when she travels to America for college, a traumatic event on campus crystallizes the selves into something powerful and potentially dangerous, making Ada fade into the background of her own mind as these alters--now protective, now hedonistic--move into control. Written with stylistic brilliance and based in the author's realities, Freshwater dazzles with ferocious energy and serpentine grace.