Small Worlds was such a treasure. I appreciated the themes of black masculinity, friendship, family and faith. I found this to be very readable, and very beautiful. Thank you to the publisher for my review copy!

Another masterpiece by Caleb Azumah Nelson. I honestly didn’t expect to personally relate to this book. Stephen and I could not be any more different. It’s definitely because we both grew up in an immigrant household. Yes, not all families are the same but you still can’t deny that most, if not all, immigrants had the same challenges. I loved how the book not only showed Stephen’s POV but also showed his dad’s POV. I love how almost everything was realistic. The emotions, characters, character developments, relationships (romantic and not), etc. To be honest, I literally can’t write a proper review about this book because I’m still processing everything I read lol. But yeah, it was an interesting, eye opening, and emotional read.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

To start, this is a beautifully crafted and written novel. While I was reading it, I felt as if I was reading a piece of classic literatures. It follows Stephen, a child of immigrants from Ghana who left the country as young adults to start an arguably more difficult life in London. Stephen deals with some very real and relatable life experiences, including the isolation of leaving your tight knit family and neighborhood for the loneliness of college, the feeling of being lost during young adulthood, dealing with grief and first love and most importantly how your home country affects your life when you’ve not lived there. This is a very slow book. For a novel sitting under three hundred pages, it took me a very long time to read. That is why if reminds me of a classic novel, because I while I wasn’t rushing to pick it up, when I did it felt like I was reading a master writer.

I received a digital advanced review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Captivated by the writing from the first page, I knew I wouldn’t survive overcoming my feelings when they hit the lowest they could reach. I finished the book in a week, drowning in the space Caleb let me stay.

The thing about Caleb’s writing is that he lets me experience the life he tells by feeling every bit of it instead of just telling me about it, whether it is discrimination, vulnerability, or even the celebration of life. Instead of listing or repeating what the History books tell us, he invites us all to feel the less beautiful part of the world and how his people emerge to make their own ‘space’ unrestrained.

His prose is rhythmical and beautiful; even mundane things become a moment of worship. The moment you start reading what he wants to say, you can’t look away.

While the core values from his previous book, Open Water, are still apparent, I love how he explores more and broadens his topic. Simply put, ‘Small Worlds’ may be about Stephen’s growth across three summers. But it is also about the community he cherishes the most; it’s about building his peaceful life; it’s about fixing his relationship with his family. It’s about him finding love and expressing it loudly. His ‘Small Worlds’ is everything from the moment he opens his eyes until he closes them again; it’s the space that lets him exist.

I wish I could explain better, but putting my feelings into words feels like limiting it to only what language can convey.

“[…] language always has to be exact and I never know 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺 how I feel.”

At last, may we all find our own ‘small worlds’ which allow us to feel free and beautiful. 𝘛𝘰 𝘣𝘦.

Wow. Amazing writing! This was my first read by Caleb, and what a way to start! I will definitely be reaching for a copy of his other work as soon as I can

Small Worlds is a coming of age story following Steven, a second generation Ghanaian living in London. Set over the course of three summers, we follow Steven as he becomes an adult and grapples with the expectations set by family and society around him.

Nelson’s prose throughout the book with flowing phrases and connections to music is something truly unique. While showing us Stevens’ “small world” we also get to see the “small worlds” of those around him. Specifically focusing on complex relationships with his father, processing grief, and navigating romantic relationships.

While I loved the musical references throughout this book and the exploration of complicated family dynamics, the overall writing style seemed to take away from the story for me. It felt like the focus was more centered around the prose than the overall story. The overuse of the title “small worlds” felt like I was being told the connections I was supposed to make a bit too much. While Nelson’s prose is beautiful it just felt a bit too overdone in this one.

While some things fell flat for me this was still a great character study and coming of age story. I did like how we followed Steven throughout different times in his life.

This was my first book I’ve read by Nelson and I will definitely be checking out Open Water next and continue to read from this author!

Thank you to NetGally and Grove Atlantic for the ARC!

Absolutely stunning new work from an exciting new voice in the literary world. Small Worlds builds on the promise of Nelson's debut Open Water, and delivers the reader to the world of Stephen, a second generation Ghanaian living in London in his early twenties, trying to navigate between the London world he's known his entire life, and the Ghanaian culture that his parents have brought with them and infused into their community.

Nelson's writing is exceptional and unique, flowing repeated phrases and using language like musical rhythms, infusing the story with a feeling of familiarity that reminds the reader of old friendships, knowing the catch phrases and responses that will come up even before they are spoken. Nelson shares the internal emotions and yearning of the characters, drawing out their conflicted desires and impulses, carefully building an environment that allow the reader to fully embrace the feelings and essence of the characters experiences and journeys.

I was particularly impacted by Nelson's steady and insightful telling of the story of Stephen's father, and their pained conflict, saving the father's backstory until the end, giving the reader a deep and revelatory understanding of his motivations, his scars, and his efforts.

Truly an exceptional book, I have found myself unable to put it down, both from my desire to see where the narrative was headed, but also for the shear pleasure of reading the author's words and language. This book felt in several sections like music to me, swirling, lifting me up, giving me energy and the sensation of movement.

Five stars without a doubt, and I can not wait to read Nelson's next work.

Ugh, Caleb Azumah Nelson’s writing is just so lovely. That’s it, that’s the post.

Having loved Open Water, I was eager to read Small Worlds and I wasn’t disappointed. Small Worlds follows Stephen through the turbulent times at the end of high school, into post-secondary, and into full adulthood. A young Black man of Ghanaian descent, Stephen navigates the challenges of this age (friends, romance, parents, work, culture) in an environment that isn’t always supportive and is at times downright cruel and dangerous. As a reader, you’re rooting for him to succeed in his search for love, happiness, and fulfillment and for him to find a way across the yawning generational rift between him and his father.

Despite the harshness that exists in the world, in invoking the “small worlds” all around us, Nelson makes readers look at the spots of community. With examples of groups of youth sitting in a park, a couple huddled together, families gathering over food and music he shows us warm, caring places where people can be at ease with each other and inside their skins. I couldn’t help envisioning each of these scenes as though they were standing under a small streetlight; inside the circle is warmth, light, safety, caring, outside is the dark, unpredictable unknown.

Nelson’s constant circling back to the small world concept he’s developed with the title is one of the joys of the book and it’s changed the way I look at the world around me. I notice these small worlds as I walk around my neighbourhood; it’s elemental, this need for safety and community. It’s why, when he’s pulled from his community, when relationships are fractured, he’s so lost and adrift. And yet, while the larger world holds danger and uncertainty, it’s also one he must venture into as he visits Ghana to understand more about his parents.

As it was in Open Water, the star of this book is Caleb Azumah Nelson’s prose. As his main character Stephen is a jazz musician, so Nelson plays his instrument with rhythm, recurrent motifs, and improvisation. It’s a book that begs to be read aloud and if you’re an audiobook fan, this would most certainly be a great one to listen to. Yes, there were a few places that it might have wavered slightly into overly sentimental territory (a few too many riffs on bookstagram’s pet peeve of letting out a breath someone didn’t know they were holding) but overall it is musical and poetic and I loved it. In addition, there is apparently a Spotify playlist which would definitely be fantastic listening for during or after reading.

Caleb Azumah Nelson never ceases to amaze me. The way he writes such deep and visceral characters with so many complex emotions just baffles me. I felt everything Stephen was feeling. I thought the way that music was conveyed as a lifeblood was so compelling. His writing is truly just all-encompassing and poetic.

I sobbed at the end of this book and I even cried a few times throughout. This book felt like a love letter to the human experience. The grief, the heartache, the loss of a life not lived, the yearning for change, and the forgiveness we grant others to make peace within ourselves. These are all things, we as human beings, can connect and relate to.

Thank you to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for this arc!

This novel centers around themes of intergenerational narrative through the transitional aspects of rhythms and notes in music, growing distant from childhood with the introduction to adulthood, physical, societal, and emotional migrations, and going through the transformative motions of grief.

I found this writing to be heartbreaking and poetic, just like it was in the author's previous book "Open Water". In my personal opinion, I did find "Open Water" to be a stronger book, in terms of plot-wise, than "Small Worlds", but what solidifies this novel to be a standout for me is because of how immersive and poignant the writing is, especially when discussing such multifaceted themes and family dynamics.

Overall, a solid 3.75/5 stars from me!

Another gorgeous novel full of feeling from Azumah Nelson. His prose is such that you are immersed in the feelings of the characters. A novel of growing up and finding yourself, while trying to understand where you come from, this is a story of music, love, heartbreak, and hope. I love the concept of living in the space between notes, and that sometimes music allows you to express what words cannot.

"The one thing that can solve Stephen's problems is dancing. Dancing at Church, with his parents and brother, the shimmer of Black hands raised in praise; he might have lost his faith, but he does believe in rhythm. Dancing with his friends, somewhere in a basement with the drums about to drop, while the DJ spins garage cuts. Dancing with his band, making music which speaks not just to the hardships of their lives, but the joys too. Dancing with his best friend Adeline, two-stepping around the living room, crooning and grooving, so close their heads might touch. Dancing alone, at home, to his father's records, uncovering parts of a man he has never truly known.

Stephen has only ever known himself in song. But what becomes of him when the music fades? When his father begins to speak of shame and sacrifice, when his home is no longer his own? How will he find space for himself: a place where he can feel beautiful, a place he might feel free?"

Thanks to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed herein are my own.

In classic Azumah Nelson fashion, this book is full of flowery, descriptive prose, deep and heart wrenching themes, and fascinating characters. This is a story of home, loss, and love, and I think the author achieved his aim with this novel. I do, however, often feel as though the lyrical prose is a bit forced, as though I can imagine Azumah Nelson sitting at his desk deciding how to string the words together. That is to say, it doesn't always feel natural and almost feels as though he is trying very hard to sound profound. Regardless, this is a well written and worthwhile novel.

Thank you to the author, Grove Press, and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 4

Small Worlds is a beautiful coming to age story about Stephen during summers in London and Ghana. It is a short read, but the author did a great job writing the story. This book discusses a lot about love with music and human connection. However, I felt like this novel was missing something to put it over the edge and make it a five-star read for me.

azumah nelson’s writing is so stunningly beautiful, he really knows how to make the mundane moments truly magical. but at the same time, it can get a bit convoluted and slow to get through, i fear that happened a bit more with this one than with his previous book!

While I was not a fan of the lyrical prose in Nelson’s first novel to the point I could not finish it, I found this one much more captivating (perhaps because it felt so much more familiar). In this novel we follow our protagonist Stephen through key life experiences that shape his familial and personal relationships.

Overall, a beautiful novel with a fluid storyline heavy on the small moments we often overlook.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review

it feels like a quiet life, but it’s mine. i’ve tried to build my own small world in the vastness, and it’s helping: i’m feeling more and more like the person i was, or the person i might become.”

another stunning masterpiece of nelson. small worlds felt intimate, cohesive, and familiar. i was extremely impressed with nelson’s debut, open water, and am just as equally impressed with small worlds.

we follow the protagonist, stephen, through various pivotal experiences in his life, intricately intertwining personal, familial, and relational elements within — what makes up one’s small world.

i will forever admire nelson’s lyrical and poetic writing style. even the mundane moments are made to feel significant, each detail flowing into the next. the narrative was deeply emotional and raw, the pacing cohesively running parallel to the storyline. in terms of the story’s structure and content, small worlds felt more like an expansion of open water, keeping many elements from the previous novel at the core of this one. it makes sense to continue what works, for it has proven to resonate with many.

nelson once again has made reading feel much more like an experience, a journey rather than a telling.

i adored open water, but this one fell a little flat for me — on paper, it felt like it should be just as good: poetic writing, significant themes, characters coming of age.

but all of it felt stilted and effortful. open water unfolded naturally and gorgeously, while all of this felt like it took something.

this was longer than open water, but it felt shorter — it accomplished less for our characters.

Caleb Azumah Nelson is such an amazing writer and we, as readers, are so lucky to be able to read his work. Small Worlds was a incredibly fantastic book and I can't get over how lyrical and dreamy Nelson's writing is. I will be screaming about how amazing this book for a long time.

Caleb Azumah Nelson is one of the best writers of conversation in intimate relationships between friends. You feel like you're overhearing secrets being told in a way that few writers can get at.

Small Worlds is a beautifully written novel following Stephen, a young black Londoner who moves through his life in a very fluid sort of way. He doesn't have much in the way of purpose, but he's not passive either.

It follows in the lineage of "small on plot, big on vibes" novels that have become popular as of late. And I'm here for it.

Very wonderful. A few tweaks to this story structure/POV could’ve made this a perfect book to me, but it still really moved me. Caleb Azumah Nelson is pure talent.