A review by damalireads
Small Worlds by Caleb Azumah Nelson

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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

5.0

“We stand in silence, the air heavy with things we don’t like to say to each other but can never forget: to forge these worlds for each other means to collectively dream of our freedom. In the wake of violence, acute or prolonged, we ask what we might need, how we might weather this time, how we might care for each other, how we might cultivate the space which encourages honesty, which encourages surrender. How we might build a small world, where we might feel beautiful, might feel free.”

Well y’all. He did it again. He just don’t miss fr. Brilliance and talent know him personally. Masterpiece pt. 2 what can I say. You will see me purchase anything this man releases for the rest of his days.

In Small Worlds, we follow Stephen – a child of Ghanaian immigrants living in England – through three pivotal summers in his life. As he transitions from high school to university to adult life, Stephen grapples with the changes in relationships with friends and family, and well as the changes he sees in his community by outside forces. Throughout the novel, Nelson explores the ‘small worlds’ one creates and is a part of – with family, on the dancefloor, in a jam session, with friends – and the space for freedom and honesty it allows.

“Space” is a recurring theme throughout the book. This “space” is breathing room made in the small worlds throughout the book. It’s created amongst friends, family, and sound and gives Stephen the chance to be honest, earnest, seen, and free. Ironically, there’s a fullness found in this space when you can be true to yourself and your emotions. Nelson so intensely describes this feeling that the absence of it is just as impactful. For Stephen, the absence of space is synonymous with the suffocating feeling he experiences when he becomes depressed in university.

Small Worlds also feels a bit like an English teacher’s dream because Nelson delicately crafts his themes using repetition through the whole book, giving the novel a sort of rhythm/lyrical nature you’d find in a song. The parallels found between Stephen’s life and his parents, or amongst his friends, or in his heritage, left me breathless. The love of music and dance is also an undercurrent through the whole novel, both used as a tool for expression and its absence a sign of loss and the freedom to just be.

It’s a gift to see yourself in a book, but even more so to see your culture, friends, family, and thoughts written into every page. It is very easy to resonate with the characters in this book because they are immediately made tangible by how honestly Nelson exposes their heart and emotions. This was especially poignant for me in the final chapters, where we learn about Stephen’s father’s journey from Ghana to England, and gain a new layer of understanding behind the tensions the pair of struggled through in each chapter. Seeing the hills and valleys of the relationship between father and son is what ultimately brought me to tears with this book – Nelson has a unique talent to expose the root of any relationship or emotion with a single sentence.  

Small Worlds is the type of book you need to read, re-read, and study. Understanding it leads to a better understanding of yourself, a greater love for the people in the small worlds you have, and a desire to keep building more small worlds to weather all the seasons of life.

Thanks to Grove Atlantic + netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.