velsbooknook's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
4.75
Caleb Azumah Nelson has a way with words - just wow. Open Water is written in second person and I think I haven't read a book in that perspective. It works so well and you feel like you are a silent observer in the story which I very much enjoyed!
The story is about a photographer and a dancer. The male MC is going through such a lot of trauma and isn't able to express his emotions it is weighing down that otherwise beautiful love story. The book deals with racism, police brutality, relationships, love and overall what it means and feels like to be a British black man.
The story is about a photographer and a dancer. The male MC is going through such a lot of trauma and isn't able to express his emotions it is weighing down that otherwise beautiful love story. The book deals with racism, police brutality, relationships, love and overall what it means and feels like to be a British black man.
“It's one thing to be looked at, and another to be seen.”
This book was absolutely heartbreaking and beautiful at the same time. It is only 144 pages long but filled so incredibly beautifully with words and feelings. I highly recommend!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death, Racism, Police brutality, and Violence
nialiversuch's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, Police brutality, Murder, Racism, and Mental illness
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Sexual content and Gun violence
heatherv's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Racism
thatenbyisis's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The constant battle of allowing oneself to be vulnerable in a world that hates you was written poetically in a way that made me take several moments to process. This book was so raw and honest, I highly recommend everyone to read this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Grief, Murder, Racism, Violence, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, and Death
Moderate: Mental illness
lizziea229's review against another edition
challenging
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Violence, and Police brutality
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Racism, Violence, Drug use, and Police brutality
orezevida's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
A lyrical and poetic story about love, but not a love story.
This story is set in South-East London and follows the main character (which I assume is partly based on Nelson) in his day-to-day life after meeting a woman at a party. The book doesn’t really have a plot, as it revolves mostly around the main character and the developement of this new relationship (more like a situationship at first). I loved Nelson’s deep exploration of his main character’s emotions, thoughts and motivations. He explored grief, imposter syndrome, black manhood, masculinity, parentification, love, friendship and so many more topics with immense tenderness and insight. His prose is so beautiful and poetic that I found myself feeling emotional even when he described something as mundane as walking home from a bar. However, I did knock off half a star as I felt it became a bit too flowery at times and I had to re-read the sentence once or twice to grasp what the author was trying to convey.
Nelson writes this book in second person, and without naming the main character or the love interest; they are known to the reader by ‘you’ and ‘she’ only. It was strange at first to read from this perspective, but I quickly grew used to, and even fond of it. The namelessness of the characters helped me feel closer to them, as I could easily insert myself into the story whenever I felt the their experiences, emotions, actions etc closely aligned with mine. And after spending so long reading about characters I could only relate to at a distance, it was refreshing and extremely cathartic to finally read a story in which not only the characters’ skin colours and appearances matched mine, but their education, upbringing, thought patterns etc.
I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a short but reflective piece with a bittersweet tone and ending which explores love and all its complications, as well as grief, friendship and race (to name a few).
(P.S. For anyone who likes listening to instrumental music whilst reading, the song ‘Abusey Junction’ by Kokoroko from the Open Water playlist is perfect, and captures mood so well.)
This story is set in South-East London and follows the main character (which I assume is partly based on Nelson) in his day-to-day life after meeting a woman at a party. The book doesn’t really have a plot, as it revolves mostly around the main character and the developement of this new relationship (more like a situationship at first). I loved Nelson’s deep exploration of his main character’s emotions, thoughts and motivations. He explored grief, imposter syndrome, black manhood, masculinity, parentification, love, friendship and so many more topics with immense tenderness and insight. His prose is so beautiful and poetic that I found myself feeling emotional even when he described something as mundane as walking home from a bar. However, I did knock off half a star as I felt it became a bit too flowery at times and I had to re-read the sentence once or twice to grasp what the author was trying to convey.
Nelson writes this book in second person, and without naming the main character or the love interest; they are known to the reader by ‘you’ and ‘she’ only. It was strange at first to read from this perspective, but I quickly grew used to, and even fond of it. The namelessness of the characters helped me feel closer to them, as I could easily insert myself into the story whenever I felt the their experiences, emotions, actions etc closely aligned with mine. And after spending so long reading about characters I could only relate to at a distance, it was refreshing and extremely cathartic to finally read a story in which not only the characters’ skin colours and appearances matched mine, but their education, upbringing, thought patterns etc.
I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a short but reflective piece with a bittersweet tone and ending which explores love and all its complications, as well as grief, friendship and race (to name a few).
(P.S. For anyone who likes listening to instrumental music whilst reading, the song ‘Abusey Junction’ by Kokoroko from the Open Water playlist is perfect, and captures mood so well.)
Content Warnings
Minor: Violence, Police brutality, Death, and Grief
bethancy's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-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? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Gun violence, Violence, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Grief
juliaa03's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality and Racism
Moderate: Death, Violence, and Grief
jasminrain's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
This book is the most stunning piece of literature I've read over the past decade and I'd be suprised if it didn't become a modern classic. The storytelling is extraordinary - I have never read a book written so beautifully. It just feels like poetry in a shape of a novel. It deals with difficult topics and as such is not an easy read. But it portrays black manhood in a manner I've never seen before in literature. It's bittersweet, touching and just simply stunning. There's so much I've taken from this book and I'm already looking forward to reading it again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Racism, Police brutality, and Gun violence
Moderate: Violence, Grief, and Murder