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matmatmatty's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
This is so beautifully written, I genuinely am in awe.
It is slightly difficult to explain what this story is about - this is the story of two people, black and living in London.
This both is and isn't a love story, but i feel this has a lot to say about the black experience and does it so well. I found some of the writing difficult at points, but so much of it was so beautiful it flowed off the page, almost like poetry. I bet listening to the audiobook would be a great experience.
Would recommend this one for sure!
It is slightly difficult to explain what this story is about - this is the story of two people, black and living in London.
This both is and isn't a love story, but i feel this has a lot to say about the black experience and does it so well. I found some of the writing difficult at points, but so much of it was so beautiful it flowed off the page, almost like poetry. I bet listening to the audiobook would be a great experience.
Would recommend this one for sure!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism, and Police brutality
Moderate: Drug use, Mental illness, and Alcohol
bisexualbookshelf'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
4.5
“It is like you both dived into the open water, but you have resurfaced with her elsewhere. It is like you formed a joint only to fracture, only to break … It’s easier to hide in your own darkness, than to emerge, naked and vulnerable, blinking in your own light.”
Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson is a poignant exploration of love, identity, and vulnerability through the lens of two young Black people in the UK. The novel’s unique use of second-person narration immerses readers in the emotional and psychological journey of an unnamed couple who are hesitant to fully embrace their feelings for each other. Nelson explores this dynamic with intimacy and immediacy, drawing readers into the couple's tentative dance around partnership.
The story centers on the narrator and his love interest, a dancer studying English literature in Dublin. Their connection is undeniable from the start, yet fraught with complications. The love interest's imminent return to Dublin fuels the narrator’s hesitancy, while her initial relationship with the narrator's friend, Samuel, adds another layer of tension. When she and Samuel break up, Samuel’s subsequent silence towards the narrator creates a barrier to their budding romance, reflecting the complexities of friendship and loyalty intertwined with emerging love.
Open Water aches with a curious desire, the kind that makes you want to swear off love if you can’t be together, even after only one date. Nelson masterfully elucidates the insufficiency of language to capture true feelings, portraying how the couple shares and explores each other’s favorite Black music, dancers, photography, and books. These shared cultural touchstones deepen their bond, highlighting the importance of Black art in their lives and relationship.
Nelson’s prose is both beautiful and brutal, perfectly capturing the narrator’s internal turmoil. The book poignantly illustrates the tension between longing and restraint that echoes between the couple. As the narrator and his love interest grapple with their identities and histories, they struggle to release control to the tender intimacy blossoming between them.
The relationship between the narrator and his love interest is not just a romantic journey but also a deeply personal quest to overcome a lifetime of racial trauma. Police violence and the constant threat of harm loom large, making it difficult for them to be present enough to develop and experience intimacy. Nelson’s depiction of this struggle is particularly powerful, probing the space between being seen and not being seen, and asking how implicated we are when someone fails to see us fully.
The writing style is introspective and lyrical, with a poetic cadence that evokes deep emotional resonance. The use of metaphor and vivid imagery creates a contemplative and intimate tone, allowing readers to connect deeply with the underlying emotions and themes. However, the second-person narration and the lack of names for the two main characters can feel slow to start and somewhat distancing initially. Despite this, the narrative picks up significantly around the 25% mark.
Though not all narrative threads come together perfectly by the end, and some may desire more clarity regarding the relationship’s outcome, Open Water remains a powerful and moving read. The gorgeous prose and Nelson’s ability to evoke profound emotions earn this book a strong 4.5 out of 5 stars.
📖 Recommended For: Readers who appreciate lyrical prose, those interested in exploring the complexities of love and identity, anyone who values stories centered on Black art and love, fans of Hanif Abdurraqib.
🔑 Key Themes: Desire and Vulnerability, Racial Trauma, Cultural Heritage and Identity, Love and Intimacy, Visibility and Invisibility.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Police brutality and Alcohol
Minor: Death, Drug use, and Grief
ko_rax's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
In the novel Open Water, the reader learns of the lived reality of the Black male body in modern society set against the backdrop of contemporary London.
"You hide your whole self away because sometimes you forget you haven't done anything wrong. Sometimes you forget there's nothing in your pockets. Sometimes you forget that to be you is to be unseen and unheard, or it is to be seen and heard in ways you did not ask for. Sometimes you forget to be you is to be a Black body, and not much else."
Whilst it took me a bit to get used to the second person pov, I have no other major "complains" concerning this novel. In fact, I believe that this stylistic choice benefitted it well, as it allowed the author to not only show lived reality, but let it come alive in a way that I as a reader physically felt the experience. By no means will I, as a non-Black person, ever understand the full scope of what it means to be a Black man, and yet I am deeply grateful for having been granted insight.
Additionally, I want to compliment the prose. The words are chosen beautifully and paint a picture of emotion and trauma in a way so bittersweet that I was left in a thoughtful mood very often. I strongly believe this novel should be read by everyone.
Additionally, I want to compliment the prose. The words are chosen beautifully and paint a picture of emotion and trauma in a way so bittersweet that I was left in a thoughtful mood very often. I strongly believe this novel should be read by everyone.
"It's one thing to be looked at, and another to be seen."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism, and Police brutality
Moderate: Mental illness, Violence, and Grief
Minor: Drug use, Sexual content, and Alcohol
blueberrywgin's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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
5.0
i will be thinking about this for a very long time. great writing, great music. a story that needed to be told.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Drug use, Hate crime, Racism, and Police brutality
autismandniamh's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racism, Police brutality, Grief, Car accident, Cultural appropriation, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual content
peggy_racham's review against another edition
5.0
"Ask: if flexing is being able to say the most in the least amount of words, is there a greater flex than love?"
Second person perspective, my beloved. Never have I read a love story quite so profound and beautifly written and also tragic.
Second person perspective, my beloved. Never have I read a love story quite so profound and beautifly written and also tragic.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Murder, and Alcohol
sakisreads's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
✨ Gifted ✨
I am so envious of whoever gets to read this for the first time.
I have no words. None.
Well, okay, maybe a few.
This is honestly one of the most phenomenal books I have read in quite a long time, and I read a LOT 😂 I was slow to read it only because I kept putting it down after crying, screaming, throwing up (or well, gasping a lot) 👏🏼
Caleb Azumah Nelson does an incredible job in his debut novel. I honestly cannot praise it enough. I urge EVERYONE to read it ❤️
Obviously 5 out of 5 stars for me, thank you ✨
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism, Police brutality, Abandonment, Colonisation, and Classism
Moderate: Drug use
christinaanna's review against another edition
dark
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
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Mental illness, Racism, Police brutality, and Alcohol
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, and Murder
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Police brutality, and Grief
Minor: Drug use and Alcohol