Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson

27 reviews

asourceoffiction's review against another edition

emotional inspiring sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Filled with quiet, poetic beauty. This is a novel to savour, drink in, enjoy in quiet moments.

I find a second-person narrative always takes a few chapters to get used to. But this lent itself so well to the story; it gives events an inevitability, like the central couple only had so much control over what was coming.

The whole thing is kind of wistful, and the two main characters (whose names we never learn) lead each other in an intense dance filled with emotion and inner conflict about growing up black in London.

I love the showcase the book gives to black art and music, and how that inspires these characters and their relationship. It forms a counterpoint to the racism that's endemic in how they are seen (or not seen), and shows how important it is to continue championing black voices. A really powerful book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Racial slurs, Drug use, Murder, and Racism

moriahleigh's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Moderate: Grief, Gun violence, Police brutality, and Death

Minor: Alcohol and Drug use

emfield's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Police brutality

Moderate: Murder, Blood, Death, Gun violence, Violence, Drug use, Grief, Hate crime, and Mental illness

tashtasher's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Death, Grief, Car accident, and Racism

Moderate: Classism and Police brutality

Minor: Infidelity, Drug use, and Slavery

dannythestreet's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

That must be one of the most beautiful things I've ever read

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Police brutality, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Racism, Violence, and Gun violence

Moderate: Classism, Death, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Murder, and Alcohol

Minor: Abandonment, Addiction, Cursing, Drug use, and Medical content

thecatconstellation's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

A beautifully written reflection on love, trauma, and Blackness. Steeped in references to music and art and using language as a precise tool, this is definitely a must read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, Police brutality, Death, Grief, and Racism

Moderate: Drug use, Violence, and Mental illness

Minor: Sexual content, Slavery, and Blood

shelfofunread's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Police brutality

Minor: Alcohol, Drug use, Death, and Sexual content

jay_hobday's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcohol, Racism, Violence, Drug use, and Police brutality

laurataylor's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Police brutality, Blood, Drug use, Gun violence, Racism, Sexual content, Alcohol, Animal death, Death, Grief, and Murder

jadziaaudrey's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Drug use, Racism, and Death

Moderate: Blood and Police brutality