Scan barcode
serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
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
4.5
Small Worlds is another stunner of a novel by Caleb Azumah Nelson. Set in London and Ghana, it follows Stephen for three summers beginning with the break between school and university. It starts off almost in YA territory with a very tentative possible romance with his best friend, dance parties, wondering what his exam marks are going to be and whether he’s going to get the marks and scholarship to enable him to follow his music dreams. The coming-of-age storyline continues as Stephen moves from teenager to new adulthood but, bit by bit the novel adds increasing layers and depth including examinations of the realities of the migration experience, of racism, of police brutality, of lingering trauma, of lost dreams, of generational divides. The power of music and of dance, their importance in Stephen’s life - for freedom, for healing, for cultural identity, for creativity - was a strong feature of this novel and I couldn’t help but notice the parallels with Fire Rush. Music and dance are not my thing but these books really made me feel their importance to others. Food played a similarly important role for Stephen. This story is one of the more powerful and beautiful explorations of a complicated father-son relationship that I’ve read in a long time. Stylistically there’s a lot of repetition as well as a sense of rhythm which give the prose an almost musical quality. The prose itself is gorgeous and lyrical, yet hard-hitting in its truth-telling.
“I tell Mum, as another fire erupts on-screen, we’re watching a group of people who are tired of being erased, tired of being forced into where they do not fit, tired of inhabiting a restless spirit, tired of crying, tired of being murdered in the seclusion of daylight. I tell Mum, we’re watching what happens when a community feel they have nothing to lose: how they turn to protest to make their voices heard. Otherwise, what else is there to do but sit in silence? What else is there to do but wait until next time? What else is there to do but wait until it is your mother, or brother, or you?”
“I tell Mum, as another fire erupts on-screen, we’re watching a group of people who are tired of being erased, tired of being forced into where they do not fit, tired of inhabiting a restless spirit, tired of crying, tired of being murdered in the seclusion of daylight. I tell Mum, we’re watching what happens when a community feel they have nothing to lose: how they turn to protest to make their voices heard. Otherwise, what else is there to do but sit in silence? What else is there to do but wait until next time? What else is there to do but wait until it is your mother, or brother, or you?”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Police brutality, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Racism
kat_impossible's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
*I was provided with an eARC by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!*
Caleb Azumah Nelson's debut Open Water was one of my favorite bookish discoveries last year and my appreciation for his writing has only grown after reading his sophomore novel. In fact, I would go so far as to say that Small Worlds hit me even harder and has cemented him as an auto-buy author for me.
Dealing with music and family, love and loss, Small Worlds follows Stephen through various life stages in three consecutive summers. While we still get the author's signature second person POV in parts of the novel, most of it is written in first person and brings us all the closer to Stephen's world of emotions. As always, the poetic prose is just so beautiful to read, but at the same time there was an added element of repetition that really served to highlight how cyclical life can be. It also makes you feel everything tenfold - Caleb Azumah Nelson never fails to make his characters' experiences feel authentic and relatable, be it joy and laughter or pain and sorrow. It is the balance of all these elements - and the way they intertwine - that makes Small Worlds work so well.
I especially enjoyed the focus on family in this one. Family is a complicated beast and Small Worlds truly showed every facet of that. I liked the way sibling-, parental- and mother/son or father/son relationships were depicted. It felt so nuanced, layered and steeped in generational history.
I gaze at my parents, and see that a world can be two people, occupying a space where they don't have to explain. Where they can feel beautiful. Where they might feel free.
Tender, vulnerable and refreshingly open, I always enjoy Caleb Azumah Nelson's portrayal of Black culture (in the UK). This one felt special in particular to the many music references, which gave it an extra spark of life. Truly, everything this man writes is just a big recommendation from me!
Fazit: 5/5 stars! No notes - this was a stunning book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism, Police brutality, Grief, and Death of parent
velsbooknook's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
5.0
Wow what a book! This story was absolutely beautiful and heartbreaking. It was my first book by the author and while I'm sitting here writing this review I have to admit I already broke my book buying ban and picked up Open Water the day after I finished this book. I need more of Caleb's writing! His writing style is truly amazing! He has a way with words I can't even begin to describe.
I loved to follow Stephen, see him grow throughout the story. Following his journey around friendship, love, family, grief and music. All descriptions of characters, places, food and memories were so vivid and detailed I felt like being there with him.
I got so emotional and I sobbed more than once. The chapter of Stephen's father broke me and put me back together. I will be thinking about this book for a very long time and I can't recommend this one enough. It definitely is one of my favourite books I have ever read so far.
Thank you very much Caleb Azumah Nelson, Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Police brutality, and Grief
More...