“…the world was not built with us in mind…”

Caleb Azumah Nelson brings us an honest exploration of the depths and heights of our realities. This is a coming of age story of Stephen, a Ghanian Londoner trying to make amends with his inner-self within a bitter world full of temptations and unknowns. A life permeated by obscurity, forces Stephen to yield and fall deep into the vastness of possibility, severing the connection to self. Solitude becomes loneliness steering him on a spiral of oppression and pain. He pivots back to his microcosmos to survive: he surrenders to the passion of melody, a judgement made on feeling - crowded with emotion, and in the midst of chaos, rediscovers love, faith and the beautiful world of tunes, chords and notes. His life comes into focus…

“Maybe this is all we need sometimes, for someone else to believe in the possibilities you see for yourself.”

C.A. Nelson weaves a wonderful mosaic of rhythm and blues suffused with a vibrating excitement between memory and present. That said, the story didn’t have the punch of his previous work ([book:Open Water|53414230]). Perhaps I was expecting something even more penetrating on immigrant struggle , ethnic diversity, or racial issues. The last section ties everything together but unfortunately felt rushed. The narrative although expressive, at times was crumbling and repetitive (poetic license?), and the prose forced, convoluted in an maze of words that tried to dazzle but in the end missed the point.

Good but not great.
3.25/5

Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC, via NetGalley

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Small Worlds - Caleb Azumah Nelson

Wow, Caleb Azumah Nelson has done it again. Open Water was one of my top reads of 2021 and Small Words is likely to be one of the top in 2023. I absolutely love the lyrical style of the book, it's almost like reading someone's subconscionse.

Small Worlds follows Stephen as he navigates through live, love, faith, grief, dance and food. Stephen finds his faith through music, in all it's different forms, and knows that everything can be solved through dance. However, with family pressure on him to go to uni and study business his dance starts to fade and he's unsure of where life will take him.After dropping out of university he faces his father's disappointment and the shame he has placed upon the family.

Although still a book cemented in romance I felt Small Words went so much deeper into what romance and love actually mean. Love isn't just what you experience with a partner, you experience with culture, with friend, family, food and for Stephen with music.

If you loved Open Water you will adore this. If you haven't read open water there is still time before Small Worlds comes out. I can't wait to see what Caleb does next

As much as I enjoyed Open Water, I equally enjoyed this beautiful piece of work. Caleb Azumah Nelson is an absolutely incredible writer, and I need this book in my hands immediately. He has become and auto-buy author.

Caleb Azumah Nelson does it again!!! I finished this book about 2-3 weeks ago and I am yet to think of a befitting review for it. I just know it was so good and I will be re-reading it soon enough to give it a much longer and detailed review on here and on my blog https://www.anikesink.com/

This was brilliant! I loved his first novel so was excited to pick this one up. It's not dissimilar from the first one, there are definitely overlaps and the general atmosphere is similar, but the storyline was different enough for it not to bother me. I definitely liked the part about the dad's story less, but not enough to mark it down. 5 stars from me :)

While I liked the content and thoughts of the book, it was a little long for me and I didn't love the prose style. Based on other reviews I'm going to assume this is merely a reflection of my own tastes and not a negative comment on the author.

When an author's debut novel is so stunning, so exquisite, there's always a fear their second novel will disappoint in some way. With Caleb Azumah Nelson, I never felt that fear; I knew whatever he put out next would be intentional and pure art, a joy to read. "Small Worlds" was exactly that. It was poetry, a song, a film in slow motion. At first, I thought this was a novel about love between two young people navigating the uncertainty of youth. By the end of the novel, I learned this was simply a novel about love. Love for a place, for the past, for the future, for the strangers who become friends, the friends who become strangers, for music, for your parents, for yourself.

I don't want to share much more about this novel because my words will never suffice and there's truly not much else to say that Azumah Nelson hasn't already said. I've never encountered writing like his, and I don't think I will ever again. He is not the "next" anything. He is in a league of his own. The best thing I can do for readers is to let the novel speak for itself.

I'm so glad this art exists in this world, and that I get to experience it.

I thought for the first third of this book that I would like Azumah Nelson's first book, Open Water, more than Small Worlds, but after I absolutely fell in love with the second half of the book, I remembered that he did the same thing to me with Open Water. His writing is absolutely stunning throughout, but his books are so quiet, so contemplative, that it can take some time to really fall into the story. I think I loved Small Worlds even more than Open Water after all. Small Worlds is for those who value family and community relationships more than a romance (although the beginning of the book might not seem like it's going that direction). I was entirely captivated. The growth of the characters, the emotional vulnerability and strength, and the nimble depictions of feelings, settings, expressions truly built a world for the reader, if you'll pardon the title tie-in. Azumah Nelson is one of the most talented wordsmiths I have ever read from. I will absolutely read anything he writes in the future.

4.5 stars

-- thanks to netgalley + publisher for an electronic advanced reader's copy --

Nelson wrote an analytical essay on the phrase “small worlds” and, while beautiful, is much too long.

(thank you NetGalley and Grove Press for the e-arc!)

the writing is so stunning, poetic, and lyrical, but it makes my heart ache.
we follow Stephen, through summers in London and Ghana, where relationships are severed, and rekindled, where music and art play an important role in reflecting the rhythm of life.
faith and loss, as well as racism and discrimination in the UK are recurrent themes.

I loved this coming of age story from Caleb Azumah Nelson. The novel follows Stephen as he navigates adult-hood, familial relationships and his identity as a young Black man in London in the wake of Mark Duggan's 2011 murder. This is a more assured book than the author's debut, Open Water and I liked the widening of the narrator's gaze from his own lived experiences to encompass the lives of his parents and their immigration stories from Ghana. The parallels that emerge between Stephen's life and the earlier experiences of his father are beautifully drawn and Stephen's new understanding of his father, with whom he has perviously had a fraught relationship, help to mark his ascent into adulthood. This tale of identity and the meaning of home and community, will stay with me for a long time.

Small Worlds by Caleb Azumah Nelson

*I should start by saying that this is a Caleb Azumah Nelson fan account! I will purchase, read, and house any book Caleb authors!*

4.5 stars/5

About: Small Worlds follows Stephen, a young Ghanaian-British man navigating young adulthood, grappling with his future, his connection to community, and romantic connections all while settling into his identity.

Like Caleb Azumah Nelson's debut novel, Open Water, Small Worlds is nothing short of brilliant. Azumah Nelson's signature lyrical prose and beautiful writing style thoughtfully depicts the many small worlds that that are forged and created through our encounters, relationship building, and connections. Azumah Nelson expertly depicts these small worlds through small, intimate moments that tether us to one another and our surroundings and I found this to be incredibly moving and lovely.

I would suggest this read to anyone, but specifically those looking who create their own small worlds through the joy of reading and exploring the mind of authors who craft diverse, meaningful, and thoughtful narratives.

This read is a treasure.

Thank you NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publishers for an early copy of Nelson's new book. After reading Open Water, I knew Nelson would be an auto-buy author. Small Worlds made me cry, think, wonder. Dance and music are major aspects of this story. The great representation of the art of dancing and making/listening to music, living in art, and having a safe space in those mediums. There is so much culture and life in this story that brings the reader to feelings of heartache and so much love. Family is another big important part of this story, and reading from a son's prospective this novel really resonated with me. How family is everything but also how parent's ideals of life tend to crumble you into being the person they intended you to be in life. Feeling loneliness, emptiness, and not knowing how to feel about your own life. This is a novel I will reread and Nelson will always be someone I come back to to have those exact feelings.

Caleb Azumah Nelson’s writing feels like a glimpse into his personal diary. It emotes and meanders through pivotal moments in a characters life. In his debut Deep Water he wrote of his great love, where in Small Worlds, he writes about coming of age.

This book reads almost like a movie reel, and should be read quietly, slowly. There is this stunning glimpse of everyday family life, about leaving home and discovering yourself out side of that unit. There is also heartache, grief, music, love and what it means to have roots and legacy.

Much like Deep Water I loved how the male MC grapples with communicating his feelings, and when he does we see the beautiful tender rewards it reaps.

I will be adding Nelson to my auto-buy list, I look forward to the next personal journey he allows us to go on with him.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for the advanced readers copy all opinions are my own, this one doesn’t come out until this summer, look for it July 17, 2023.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for giving me the chance to read one of my most anticipated books of the year early. Filled with beautiful prose, this novel follows Stephen, a first generation Londoner to Ghanaian parents, chooses to upend the plans and future he and his family always assumed he would take to pursue a path that is less assured—music. This book poetically discusses the ideas of belonging, identity, and the places and people we call home, and I loved it just as much as Nelson’s first novel. Tears will be shed and fans of Open Water will not be disappointed

I am new to Caleb Azumah Nelson, and did not previously read his acclaimed first novel, but now will seek it out eagerly. Small Worlds is a beautifully quiet book — about nothing and about absolutely everything, about searching for one’s place in life, about finding it in music, in family, in love, about developing over the course of the novel the insight to understand that one’s place is more than a moment or a youthful university transition, but is rather a position along a continuum, how every action has a reaction and sometimes reactions take more than one generation to play out, how demanding space for self may lead one to an understanding of how the passions and simple ordinariness, along with the sacrifice, of our aging parents is irretrievably and poetically bred into a common outlook. The prose in this novel is exceptional, melodic, and the insights offered into both the mindset and driving forces of a musician and the experience, both lovely and brutally racist, of being a Ghanian second-gen immigrant in London are deeply affecting. An important novel. Highly recommended. (The veggie Jollof bowl I was inspired to track down at Black Star Grille in Portland after reading this novel brought it even more to delicious life.)

What I loved most about Caleb Azumah Nelson’s debut Open Water was the lyrical prose, and that’s exactly what I like about his sophomore book the most too.

When I wrote my review of Open Water, I said it was like listening to a song and feeling all kinds of emotions without hearing the words. And precisely the same happened to me while reading Small Worlds. Music is a significant theme in this story, and the words and sentences in Small Worlds dance together in a harmonious rhythm in highs and lows. I love this kind of writing, and I can completely drown in it, but to be honest, I need a little bit more to love a story fully. In this case, I found the pacing too slow, and too little happened on my journey through Stephen’s life while, at the same time, I gobbled up those beautiful sentences.

So, Caleb’s writing is definitely my kind of thing, but his stories a little less. You might feel different and adore this book!

I received an ARC from Grove Atlantic and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved Nelson’s debut Open Water so much, that I was both excited and nervous to read this advanced copy of ‘Small Worlds’, but I had no need to be nervous. As soon as I read the first line I let his beautiful prose lull me nicely into the story, the rhythm almost making it like music. It had that same lyrical structure of Open Water but giving me a completely different plot and new characters to adore. It swept me up into Stephen’s many small worlds and quite frankly I am sad to be out of them. Dealing with so many complex things, racism, relationships, family and identity, seamlessly. When is the next book out?

I had great expectations for Small Worlds because I immensely enjoyed Open Water. And Caleb did it again with this one. He didn't disappoint!!
If you have read Open Water, you will know that the author's writing is poetic. It's one thing I love about Caleb's writing. While reading, I got a little giddy each time I came across this string of words for no reason: "Since the one thing that can solve most of our problems is dancing…" While others might find this style repetitive, it's one thing I adore about Caleb's writing.
I was completely submerged in Stephen's world; it felt like I was right there with him through the growing pains, dealing with parental expectations, grief, and all the good times. I loved how Caleb wrote about music and the references he made! I took several pauses to look up the songs mentioned, giving me a better view of Stephen and the people he loved.
It was wholesome losing myself in Stephen's world. I loved every bit of it! Now, I can't wait to have a copy on my shelf.
Thank you, Grove Atlantic, for the ARC through NetGalley.

So many topics were discussed in this book. Music, racism, grief, police brutality, and depression just to name a few.

The author used music and art throughout the book and I think that helped me understand the feelings the characters were experiencing at different points in the story.

Overall this story was uplifting, enlightening, and beautifully written.

Caleb Azumah Nelson wrote about some very heavy topics like mental health and grief in such a beautiful and relatable way.

This is a book I would recommend to anyone.

Thank you Caleb Azumah Nelson, Grove Atlantic, and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.