Caleb Azumah Nelson has such a beautiful way with words, I absolutely fell in love with Open Water and the way he writes truly draws the reader into the story and the lives of the characters. Small Worlds, an exceptional follow-up to his wonderful debut, is a raw and honest exploration of father-son relationships and the pressure on a young black man to not only find his place in a society that often feels he is on the outside of, but also to navigate the turbulent reality of trying to live up to parental expectations without giving up on personal aspirations. Nelson paints a stunning portrait of his protagonist and I was absorbed into his world, I couldnt put the book down and this is often difficult to achieve in a character-oriented novel.

I absolutely could not recommend this more highly, another brilliant release from a very up-and-coming writer, I am already looking forward to his next release!

3.5, rounded downwards. I enjoyed this slightly less than Nelson's debut novel Open Water, from which Small Worlds felt like a natural progression. It's clear that he's growing as a novelist while maintaining the core features of what worked so well for him last time, but he threw in too many discordant elements this time, signaling his wider and deeper ambitions.

We follow our first-person narrator Stephen, the son of working-class Ghanaian immigrants to Peckham through three climactic years from his late teens into his early 20s: a love story with a childhood friend, his alienation from a disapproving father, his untimely experiences with grief, his return visit to family in Accra, searching for the unspoken parts of his parents' love story. While Open Water felt more raw, loose, and improvisatory, Nelson has masterfully structured and paced the narrative, braiding themes and variations, setting the life experiences of Stephen and his striving parents in counterpoint-- especially in a moving and heartbreaking penultimate chapter told from their perspective.

On the plus side, this was another amazing multimedia reading experience. After cueing up the official <a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0JeZD3Jd67kGtSpVeXE488">Spotify playlist</a> of early 2000s hip-hop and old-school R&B, I was convinced by Nelson's refrain that life's problems can be solved by dancing. And Nelson makes a persuasive case for the life-giving potential of art: Stephen's love for playing jazz trumpet sustains him through setbacks, and his mastery of West African cooking in a restaurant sous-chef gig provides a way of finding the core of his identity.

But on a sentence-by-sentence and page-by-page level, this felt a bit unfinished and forced, with some clunkily melodramatic dialogue. Some of this was the consequence of viewing the experiences of a protagonist whose own emotions were messy and raw as he was uncertainly navigating his way into adulthood. But some of the emotional beats felt histrionic and unearned, and the connections to contemporary history (the murder of Mark Duggan and the riots) seemed awkwardly bolted on. And since Stephen is reporting the life-stories of the other characters (especially Del, his childhood friend and love interest) through second-hand explanations, they seemed flat and lacking in interiority.

After this, I would still look forward to reading anything that Nelson will write, and this gave me entry into a world I would like to revisit. Especially the deep cuts by J Dilla....

<i>Thanks to Netgalley and Grove Atlantic for giving me an ARC, in return for an honest and unbiased review.</i>

Ok this is just spectacular, I loved it so much I read it twice. I read the ebook then because the entire book feels like an album, like music, I had to listen to the audiobook. Then I needed the physical book of course just to hug.

Feelings I had whilst reading

Loneliness
Lust
Uninhibited
Anger
Seen
Heartbroken
Hopeful
Home

Of every book I have ever read, no one writes sex like Caleb!

Caleb Azumah Nelson is an incredible talent, beautiful writer and narrator. Just bringing something so beautiful to the ordinary. The awkwardness of interactions, the feeling of home, love, joy, loss… I was so deeply moved by the writing.

I adored Open Water, but this I just loved even more. The way he encapsulates the human experience.

Caleb, I will read anything you write, even a shopping list. Love Emily

Small Worlds is a beautiful story about family, black manhood, love, and overcoming. You are swept away in the beautiful prose that Nelson is so good for. He encaptures the heartbeat of the black community during summer, a continued hum of music in the background and love. Stephen represents a life longing for a connection we can all relate to and hope for.

This is the first novel I have read by Caled Azumah Nelson. Open Water has been on my list for a while, and after reading Small Worlds, I am definitely making sure that I read Open Water.

Small Worlds grapples with many of the difficult subjects that we expect a migration/African postcolonial novel to tackle: generational trauma, slavery, police brutality, and the hardship of building a life elsewhere. What makes Small Worlds an example of the new 21st-century migration novel (in my book) is the fresh perspective it brings to the themes with which we are familiar.

Although the narrator is not necessarily unreliable, he is not perfect. He is eighteen when the novel begins, and he lives for music, his aspiration to become a jazz musician. When he can't receive the scholarship he needs, however, he is forced to grow in ways that are simultaneously painful and fulfilling. His love for free jazz is reflected beautifully in the form of the novel through rhythm (achieved via strategic repetition), thoughts floating, and the way the text itself, like the music, allows Stephen to face his family's tragic history, their move from Ghana to London, and all the other challenges that come his way, following the summer of 2010. But migration doesn't only breed obstacles and pain. I love and appreciate the way Small Worlds also celebrates the beauty of life, love, and community in the face of hardship. The sections on police brutality, slavery, and death are inevitably difficult to read, but the soft, rhythmic language encourages the reader to continue. And then, out of nowhere, amidst sorrow, we see beauty and light emerge. A beautifully written piece of work.

Lyrical prose is one of my favorite things to read and although it’s been a while since I read Open Water, being immersed in Small Worlds was such a joy. This story follows our MMC as he explores the similarities between music/rhythm and the small worlds we build around ourselves and others.
Caleb does such a good job discussing rhythm, language, music, and connection that the book feels like listening to a record from beginning to end. This story also discusses familial relationships, generational trauma, art, and the small pleasures of life. For a short-ish book I thought Small Worlds packed a punch in a way that was quiet, lyrical, and thoughtful.

*Many thank yous to the publishers and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review*

What a joy is was to be amongst Caleb Azumah Nelson’s words again. Imbued with rhythm and packed with nostalgia for a London, and another version of myself who loved to dance, that I miss dearly.

His second book retains that youthful quality, characters coming of age and figuring out what the f to do with all of life ahead of them. I deeply appreciated the spectrum of familial relationships represented in the story. Without saccharine, or overly simplisitc attempts to make family the most important feature of a young person’s life, it showed instead that family can be made of anyone you want it to be.

The romance is front and centre but messy and frustrating, like real life young love. Small Worlds is the closest I will get to fictional romance reading, free from tropes but still makes you inadvertently smile when they tell each other how they feel.

Im sooooo happy I stumbled upon this author!!! Open water was just so beautiful and I just knew Small worlds would be the same!!! Absolutely worth the read!!! The poetic way this author writes is just breathtaking!!! Another W for Mr.Nelson

I love Nelson’s writing, the scenes have this quality, this visual beauty as if they are composed on a 35mm camera — slow, the light is soft, the prose is delicious and beautiful! I love everything by him, what a privilege to read such beautiful prose!!

Open Water is one of my favourite novels so getting to review Caleb Azumah Nelson’s second book Small Worlds had me both excited and nervous. For any fans of his previous work, you are bound to like this because it brings back the incredibly lyrical storytelling and another story that will both soften and harden your heart.

There’s some magic to anything Nelson writes down. As with his previous book, there’s a lot of repetition throughout the book, some themes even repeating from Open Water. Rather than being a bore, it helps drive home certain sentences and their attached messages. There’s also a wide use of different motives and themes that keep returning such as music and dance, and the changing of seasons. Everything feels connected and it reads just as beautifully as one could hope for.

I especially appreciated the way the parallels are drawn between father and son. It builds up more and more to that central theme as you keep on reading and once there’s a switch of perspective, the book becomes all the more meaningful. Some scenes are heartbreaking, others are heart-warming, and it is a perfectly complex story about familial relationships. You’re bound to let out some tears or have goosebumps reading certain scenes. Pure magic.

Whereas Open Water was a love at first page book for me, Small Worlds is one that slowly but surely grows on you. I didn’t think I would relate as much to this but once again, I was pleasantly and painfully surprised when I kept coming back to certain paragraphs, really seeing myself in them. The university chapters especially meant a lot to me and made this book easier to connect to on a personal level. The charm of this book is that I believe anyone can connect to something, even if it’s the smallest detail, making it a must-read for everyone. I am wholly in love with the way Caleb Azumah Nelson writes and I highly recommend picking up Small Worlds if you want to feel something meaningful.

Ahhhh, he’s done it again. Another lyrical masterpiece. I foolishly didn’t write a review at the time of reading in February but vividly remember sitting with tears running down my cheeks on the plane between Hanoi and Singapore as I finished this, so it left a mental mark even if the details are hazy 🙈😭🤣

I won’t bother with a synopsis because I suspect if you loved Open Water as much as I did you’ll be just as keen to hear more from this gorgeous new voice and will pick this up.

I remember some of the same compelling “will they/won’t they” relationship dynamics but predominantly being moved by the father son relationship dynamic and sense of place across Peckham and Ghana. Music, both playing instruments and dancing in clubs give a key sense of self to these characters.

Really gorgeous, a treat to read more from Mr Azumah Nelson. My single criticism is that far too often characters are letting go breaths they didn’t know they were holding 😬😳🙈

Caleb’s prose here is soft and lyrical. Certain sentences are repeated, like the chorus of a song. There’s a very beautiful rhythmic sense to the writing, and it all comes together like music, which is much of the focus, passion, and love that often drives Stephen. It’s enchanting. At moments I found myself humming to songs mentioned that I was familiar with as I read along, and was swept up in the feeling of being so aware and present in a moment in time, like Stephen also felt. Similar to Open Water (another banger, pick it up, NEEEOOOWWW) Nelson also weaves in topics of race and assimilation, the immigrant experience, the limbo of belonging, the gut-wrench of opportunities just out of reach, the loss of something built, the weight of self discovery...and more.

The pace of this book is slow (that ain’t no problem) and the impact of the words are undeniable. I have a lot of thoughts I’m still parsing through but basically, I think I just like the way Nelson’s writing makes me feel, even when my heart is breaking. Like….ouch????

Be sure to give this one a read, friends. Congrats to Caleb Azumah Nelson on another great release, and thanks to Grove Atlantic for my copy!

Small Worlds is a second novel written by a British-Ghanaian author Caleb Azumah Nelson, and where his first one - Open Water - was about “you” - as in a person, a friend, a lover, a Black man -, Small Worlds is more about “us”. A community, a family, a group of friends, a couple. A person as a part of a unit. It’s a careful exploration of identity, of what it means to belong unconditionally and all the expectations, pitfalls and joys it entails. Of what it means to be lost and searching, to try to carve your own way without forgetting your roots. To find and build your own “small world”.

The flow of Small Worlds is unhurried and deliberate. The author takes his time to build a scene and to reflect on everything that happens to the main character and the world around him. The writing style resembles a stream of consciousness but with more aim to it.
It’s never flat! Nelson has a great ability to capture the moment in its emotional movement. The way he writes reminds me of a photograph that you can’t help having a response to. You look at the picture and feel your skin prickle under the sun of that one summer day when everything was light and easy for a moment. Or the coldness of an empty room full of doubts and regrets. Or the scent of your Mother’s flowers she tended to in the backyard of your parents’ house. It’s all very vivid in your head.
I believe that this is Nelson’s greatest strength and a trap he created for himself. It’s easy to get lost in the lyricism, and in Small Worlds he sometimes falls victim to the temptation of overstretching the lyrical moments.

The author touches on many important themes (immigration, social justice, grief), some of which he’s already started to explore in Open Water. His observations and commentary are clever and on point.

An impactful and lyrical read, that continues the line that was started in Nelson’s debut novel.

Thank you, Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for letting me read an advanced e-copy!

My first Caleb Azumah Nelson book, and I'm blown away by the prose. Wow. I knew it would be good, but THIS GOOD?

Every word is like a song, so if you can imagine a book that's like a whole album full of them, it would be this.

There are actual songs inside too, they show up often, as does dancing. I'm a dancer and when a book starts with dancing and has it as a central theme throughout...well, I'm sold.

But it's not always sunshine and rainbows, there's also grief. As someone's who's lost a parent young, I could relate all too well.

Honestly though, the whole book is relatable, because Nelson knows how to write. Even the London and Accra settings were so vivid that I felt like I was there myself. I haven't been to Accra yet, but boy, do I want to.

As for London I have relatives there (coincidentally the south-east) and that was where I spent my summers so those parts scratched a specific itch in my brain.

The only teeny tiny flaw is that I wish more things happened. And I wish it could've been even longer so I could enjoy this wonderful writer explore even more themes that would break my heart and put it back together again.

ALSO, I can't wait for the TV series, I know it's going to be amazing. But in the meantime, everyone go and get yourself a copy of this book, that I just finished and immediately want to reread. Yes, it's one of those. Now run, don't walk.

*Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review*

I haven’t read Open Waters, let’s get that out of the way. But as soon as this book was available for request, I didn’t hesitate and decided to read it. I’ve only heard great things about Open Waters and the author, so I had high hopes for this one.
This is definitely one of those hit-or-miss books. To me, it was more of a miss. Mostly, because the subplots were dull and not at all interesting. I was invested in the characters, but they felt underdeveloped and lacking at times, probably because the book is very slow paced.
But the writing style stood out to me. It was very lyrical and moving, so I’m excited to give Open waters a go.
I would still recommend it, because at least for me, it was a great introduction to the author and I got to know his writing style.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for sending me an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Small Worlds by Caleb Azumah Nelson was everything I hoped it would be. Small Worlds tells the story of our protagonist, Stephen, who is a first generation son of Ghanian immigrant parents with strong opinions about who he should be. We journey along with Stephen as he figures out what he wants and the risks he is and is not willing to take to make his dreams happen.

There are so many disappointments that Stephen experiences along the way and when he and his father experience a falling out it is hard for him to figure out how to repair the rupture in his relationship with his dad. The family system eventually changes as Stephen's mother gets sick and the heart of the story takes us through the ways that Stephen tries to make amends (or doesn't overtly try) with his father.

I enjoyed the subplots in the story and the love and friendship between Del and Stephen. I'm glad Del makes a reappearance in a later season of Stephen's life. Romantic. Poetic. Gut wrenching!

Thank you to the author and publisher for the e-arc copy!

This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2023. Open Water was the best book I read last year, so I was really looking forward to Small Worlds. I liked reading Small Worlds, but I didn't love it as much as I hoped; considering how much I really enjoyed Open Water.
Small Worlds follows Stephen, a first-gen Londoner born to two Ghanaian immigrant parents, so you already know his parents, especially his father, have thoughts on how his life should look like, etc. Stephen is in that phase of life where he's done with school and has to think about university, career choices, and adulthood. His passion is music, but his father wants him to do something more serious, creating this rift between them. The novel takes off when unexpected life events force Stephen to make certain choices that affect his relationship with others around him. Small Worlds covers three summers, with one summer set in Ghana.
Caleb is very good at lyrical prose and putting words on the page, being inside Stephen's head and feeling what he felt was one of the things I enjoyed. My favorite part of the book was when Stephen went to Ghana. I loved those sections so much and the themes explored. I also enjoyed the theme of navigating adulthood while everyone around you seems to be moving at a faster pace. I'm in my 20's and I really related to that. I also loved all the complex relationships in this novel, especially the ones between father and son, brother and brother, self and expected self. These are what prompted me to give this book a 3.9/5 rating.
Even though I liked this book, there were some aspects that weren't making me fall in love with Small Worlds. The pacing was too slow, I felt that the book took way too long to start, and because the pacing was so slow, it slowed down the character development and some characters felt flat to me. I enjoyed Stephen's character the most since he was the protagonist, but Del (his best friend/love interest) felt very off-the-page to me. It made it hard to believe their romance and this book could have done without them being involved. One thing I loved about Open Water was the love story, I don't think Small Worlds classifies as a love story because romance didn't seem to be a central plot point. Another thing that wasn't working for me was the repetition. Caleb used repetition in Open Water and it worked so well, so I was surprised it wasn't working in this book for me. I could tell stuff was being repeated and it got to a point where I'd get frustrated reading the same lines/sentiment over and over again. I really think using 1st person was the reason the repetition wasn't working. I've read everything Caleb has published and I think he's really good at writing in 2nd and 3rd person. I also thought that some scenes that felt crucial to the plot happened off the page. As in, we wouldn't see the scene on the page but Stephen would tell us about it. This made it hard to feel empathy for some characters.
Overall, I think this is a good book. Caleb is obviously a talented writer and I'll always buy anything he writes. Maybe I'd have enjoyed this book more had I not read Open Water. I will be re-reading Small Worlds when I buy a physical copy. Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC! Excited about whatever Caleb is working on next.

I had a the gut feeling I was going to love this novel. I was right, I did absolutely love it.

At the heart of this novel is the relationship between Stephen and his father, but this is not only a story about a father and a son, it’s a story of growth and love in many forms. And maybe above all, it’s a story of first and second generation British Ghanaians, the hope, the reality, the smells and the sounds. It was absolutely beautiful!

The writing is exquisite. The author uses repetition of phrases to perfection and every time certain sentences were repeated they buried themselves deeper into my heart and feels. He manages to get across the vibes perfectly; the heady feeling of summer, when everything feels possible, the frustration and love you can only have with family, the grief of loss. There was poetry in the words and he managed to created imagery in my head seemingly effortlessly.

This book made me smile and made me cry. It made me bathe in the summer sun and crushed my heart, only to make it whole again.

I will absolutely buy a copy of this book, as well as his debut novel.

I think this is very much a it's not the book it's me situation. I just don't think that I vibe with the writing style of this author. I have no doubt that it will be a book that lots of other people will enjoy, I just personally could not connect with it.

(2.5 stars rounded up to 3 stars)

Thank you to Netgalley and Grove Atlantic for sending me an advanced copy

Thank you to NetGalley & Grove Atlantic for the eARC.

What happens when your home is no longer your home?

Small Worlds is set over the course of three summers and deals with themes of grief, love, and family relationships.

I found myself loving this even more than Open Water. I was completely immersed in this world Caleb created. Small Worlds captures the essence of nostalgia and submerges you in it.