This book is stunning. A moving, powerful story of love, race, family, and becoming. It’s a story that will stay with you once you’ve closed the pages. Nelson’s way of writing is so poetic and flows from start to finish captivating you and enabling you to follow the difficult journey each character faces.

What. A. Book. This is an actual work of art. Poetic, lyrical - beautiful. It’s an intimate love story about falling in love with your best friend. It’s about finding your identity and questioning where you’re from. It’s about being a Black man and feeling invisible to everyone but the police.

This book made me want to climb into bed next to my son and hold him close to me and hope that he grows to be respectful, kind and makes me hope he falls in love in a way that makes him question who he was before that person.

Written from a second person narrative, we don’t know the names of the main character or his love. We don’t need their names because their souls are laid completely bare on the pages in front.

At times I felt like I lost my way when reading this but I think that was purely down to me and not a reflection of the writing.

If you want to read something important, somwthing real, something raw and something that teaches you, make it this one.

What I love most about reading is the way in which the reader can be so completely transported into the mind of someone entirely different. Words forming the ability to see through the eyes of someone else is a powerful medium, and this book, more than any I’ve read recently really did this for me.

Open Water is short in length, but what the author achieves in that space is seriously impressive. The themes are big. Race, masculinity, love, trust and trauma, so that at its end I was left feeling that I had walked in the shoes of another. It felt unlike anything else I’ve read before.

From the off, I was jarred. The story is told in the second person narrative, and I inwardly (and most probably outwardly too) sighed. It’s a narrative style I’ve never really got along with well. But, I’d been really looking forward to reading and so onwards I went – and although it took me a while to adjust, as the story unfolded I felt that the feeling of displacement I felt through the narrative was working impeccably well in heightening the loss of the sense of self in the main character.

The story begins with two young people who meet and feel an instant connection to one another, beginning a friendship as a precursor to more. It’s a timeless, universal story, and that’s where it begins. But to me, this felt to be a story of two halves. The core love story leads into an individual coming to terms with a collective experience. The themes of racism, in particular institutional racism, are so powerful here, through the authors beautiful, poetic prose. The first half of the story had me fall in love with this young man, whilst the latter half played on these emotions so that I felt acute anger as he seemed to diminish under the glare of being a young, black man.

It’s a paradox of a novella – subtle, and yet so powerful. The plot unravels slowly, and yet still packs a punch by its end. Startling in the beauty of its lyrical prose, which is at times hypnotising, Open Water is not an easy read, but it’s an important one, and I look forward to reading more from Caleb Azumah Nelson in the future.

Absolutely incredible. A powerful debut on race, London, being an artist and falling in love. I adored every second of it and felt like I was falling in love with my best friend all over again. Timeless and universal, with a very important and necessary discussion on police brutality and young men in London.

I struggled with the second person perspective in this book as it’s not something I’ve come across in books I’ve read before, at least not for the full text. It took me some time to get into it but this second person perspective really helps to put the reader in the protagonists shoes.

The story line worked really well and I warmed to the characters quickly, building a picture of how they feel towards each other, life in general, how they are seen by others, by the police and the trauma’s and grief that the protagonist experiences, whilst also exploring stereotypes of masculinity.

This was a very different book for me but I enjoyed it, I learnt a lot and I felt a lot.

I have already forced my close friends to read this. It is achingly necessary and beautifully executed. Nelson’s debut is lyrical and painfully real. A stunning work of modern literature.

Highlighting the Black male experience of modern life in London, two young people meet in South-East London and embark upon the arc of a relationship: it’s an experimental book and written in a different style but worth persevering with.

The falling in love might be the least interesting bits – there is much more to the book, walks through the “ordinary” streets seen through someone’s eyes who is very different from you if you're reading as a White woman as I was, such a vital thing to do from time to time – often, in fact – and scenes in clubs and barbershops showing a powerful Black joy (something other books I've read have mentioned is so necessary as well as narratives of trauma).

My full review here https://librofulltime.wordpress.com/2021/02/13/book-review-caleb-azumah-nelson-open-water/

'Open Water' by Caleb Azumah Nelson is a love story, but it is also more than that.

Written in the second person perspective, 'Open Water' casts you as a young black man, falling in love with his friend's girlfriend and negotiating this relationship. Both of the main characters are artists, him a photographer/writer and her a dancer, and both have experienced trauma that seems heavily linked with their race.

'Open Water' explores the need to be seen and fully understood, without prejudice and stereotype. However, it also describes the vulnerability that being seen in this way can cause, and how intolerable this can be. The novel therefore discusses issues linked to race, within the context of a love story.

I really enjoyed this novel, even though initially I was unsure. This was mainly because it took me a while to get into the poetic prose and the use of 'you'. However, this use of perspective was very clever as it put me, a 41yr old white woman, inside the head of a young black man and guided me into a better understanding of what that might be like. I would highly recommend it.

I saw this everywhere ahead of publication and the publicity made me want to read it even more. It did not disappoint.

Open Water is a tender and moving debut about two young black artists in South London. The story explores their intense connection that blossoms into an epic love story (and how painful love can sometimes be). Nelson wrote this lyrical book it in the 2nd person - so it’s definitely not for everybody but I thought it was such a joy to read. It’s also filled with rich cultural references such as Zadie Smith and the Notting Hill Carnival. A truly remarkable read!

This book was exquisite.

An immensely powerful story of love and connection alongside an evocative, searing exploration of race and masculinity.

The poetic language is absolutely stunning throughout and was so engaging to read and easy to get caught up in. I thought at first the second-person narrative might be off putting but I quickly settled into it, and I think the book is all the more impactful and memorable for it.

The sheer vulnerability throughout really struck me. The unflinching look at race, identity, Blackness, police brutality, and mental health were all beautifully done and were so raw at times, despite the book maintaining its poetic and dreamlike quality. I loved all the references littered throughout and it’s a book I definitely had to force myself to slow down with and really take it all in.

As a lover of love stories, beautiful writing, and literary depictions of race, this book had so much to love and pulled everything together incredibly well. And all the more impressive for being a debut. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for whatever Caleb Azumah Nelson does next.

***Thanks to Viking and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"It's one thing to be looked at, and another to be seen".

One of the most beautiful books I have ever read. This is an raw, intimate book detailing a love story between two young Black people in London. Their love is so special because they are both seen by each other, not just looked at as a Black body in the eyes of the community; one where they can be themselves, be noticed, be present, and be loved.

Nelson's prose is poetic, richly encompassing the intense feelings of love to the piercing threat of police brutality and racism.

A stunning, moving read!

Beautifully written! It's written in a style that is more then poetry, it feels like a song.

We are told a story of young love how it grows from love at first sight into something that words cannot express. Along side the trials and tribulations of real life for a young Black man living in the city.

Although it's not a story I could relate to, it was a story I am glad I am able to know and feel like everyone should know it.

"Open Water" by Caleb Azumah Nelson is a poetic exploration of love and Blackness. In it, a young man meets a girl, and the book shows their journey through friendship towards love and a relationship. At the same time, the author explores what it means to be a young black person, striving to fulfil others expectations of you, striving to stay true to yourself and express yourself through art. There is so much in here that will resonate with audiences, especially black audiences – from the school experience of being a token student, through searching for a place where one can feel truly at home, to everyday microaggressions and fear of being killed. Nelson also celebrates Black art – through films, books and music - and I wish I knew more about music so that I could appreciate what he has to say about it! There is also his prose – beautiful and moving, haunting and raw in some places where the author explored pain and trauma. Through the second person narration the main character also becomes an observer, it becomes a reader, a person detached but also in the midst of the narration. ”Open Water” is a book to be read quietly and savoured, and like a poem it can be interpreted differently by the reader. This is also an uncomfortable and painful read, as we see with our own eyes the damage that our society does to Black communities. But it is also a uplifting book, as it shows the beauty and joy of being Black, being at ease in yourself and celebrating who you are. I am not sure I am giving this book enough justice, I just think it should be read and discussed by everyone.

How could such a short book give me such a big book hangover?

'Open Water' was deeply moving in many respects. It was also a pleasant surprise that it was in second-person narration (i.e. the protagonist is referred to as 'you') which was incredibly effective and heightened every emotion. Normally it takes a little while for me to emotionally connect/invest with even my favourite characters, but something about this second-person narration and Nelson's writing style just built that bridge instantly.

The prose in this is beyond beautiful - poetic and intense and so many times I started highlighting a phrase only to end up literally going to the end of the whole page. It's truly a special book when you have to physically stop reading and just absorb how good the sentence/paragraph is. This book also helped me realise that sea and water-related metaphors are my JAM, and these gems were aplenty here.

There is both great joy and great sadness in this book. As Nelson writes, multiple truths can reside in parallel. The bones of the plotline are ostensibly simple, but when is love ever simple? 'Open Water' follows the blossoming of a truly precious, soulmate-level connection, how such a powerful love can fracture, and how such a break can heal. The discussions of race and men's mental health were also very insightful and felt highly personal. I wonder how cathartic it must have felt to use such evocative words to give shape to things that can seem so intangible.

The ending was absolutely perfect as well. Gives some closure but is open-ended enough that the story can still breathe.

'Open Water' is a stunning debut by Caleb Azumah Nelson, depicting how even intense love can be destroyed by the lasting scars of trauma and associated fear. When two young people meet in a bar, their instinctual connection flairs, leading to a relationship beyond anything they have experienced. Azumah Nelson has structured the novella in 2nd person which allows even the reader an intimate connection with this growing relationship, wading through every thought and feeling as the characters confidently take their relationship into the 'open water'. The readers live the experiences as the characters do, the growing intimacy of the present littered with the reminders of past trauma.

As much as this relationship sparks on so many spiritual levels, the protagonist struggles to fully embrace the promise of love and overcome the psychological scars left by the traumas experienced whilst living as a black man in London. The reader feels every fear like a gut punch, the writing lyrically, and sometimes dreamily, woven, contrasting the pointed moments of violence and harsh reality. I left this book feeling a deep sorrow for the experiences portrayed. The reader's immersion into the life and mind of the main character is stylistically so lyrical and personal, that these important experiences will resonate with all readers. A unique and special read indeed.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher who provided an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Open Water is a masterfully written debut novella. While the main storyline focuses on two Black London artists tentatively and tenderly falling in and out of love, it's also an honest insight into what it's like to be a Black man in London. Open Water is told in the second person, which is rare but works in this instance. The book may be short, but the vulnerable and soulful writing style and storyline are destined to make an impact on any reader.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Viking for the ARC - all opinions are my own.

I’m not sure I’ll be able to give a review for this book that does it justice. A small but mighty piece of text, this book is full of true, raw emotion and written in the most beautiful way.

Open Water is Nelson’s stunning debut novel, about two Black British artists who fall in love. Set from the point of view of the boy, but with second person narrative, the reader immediately feels the connection between the two and you are captivated the whole way through.

Not only does the writer describe this feeling of love so beautifully, Nelson also writes honestly and deeply about the the struggles and vulnerabilities of being seen as only a Black body. This was truly insightful to read about, that relentless feeling of no escape and how he felt a safety in love, but to then lose it.

Despite only being 176 pages long, I didn’t zoom through this book but devoured it slowly and intensely. It’s not a story that can be rushed, the importance of the writing too big to whizz past. Nelson has written a truly insightful book, that will both educate you and tug on your heart strings in equal measure. A book that will stay with me for a long time!

It took me until I was halfway through to realise what this book was reminding me off; a lazy Saturday morning. I always want to spend more time with my lazy Saturday mornings but there is this feeling in my tummy because I know it’s going to end.

That’s what Open Water reminds me of.

You and Her are getting to know each other, wanting to spend time with each other, getting closer and closer while they do but the whole time I was reading this dance between them, I felt like something was going to happen. I got that feeling in my tummy.

I won’t tell you why because I’m not about that spoiler life but what I will tell you is that Caleb, by writing in second person narrative, allows the reader to get to know his two unnamed characters; You and Her, in an intimate and gentle way. He uses their passion for music, dropping in artists you may or may not have heard of, leaving you reaching for Spotify to start listening to them as you read. This only adds to that soft focused motion picture of You and Her that’s already been developing in your mind.

And while this book is essentially about love, from a beautifully soft, male perspective, it is also about masculinity. And it is about grief. And it is about trauma. The trauma that racism leaves behind.

Open water is a really beautifully written, poetical novel (or maybe novella).
The novel is an exploration of love and identity, male masculinity and a constant awareness that racism may impact on their lives at any time. Two black Londoners with similar backgrounds, both won scholarships to private schools, both struggled to fit in, and used coping methods, him with his basketball and her with her dancing. When they meet, he is a photographer and she is a dancer, they become friends and later lovers. The novel centres on their intense relationship and in the background there is the threat of racism and police harassment. The novel is moving and poignant with many references to black culture (music, books and films).