Small Worlds is an engaging novel exploring the changing dynamics that Stephen experiences as he teeters on the cusp of manhood and independence. Nelson navigates the anger, pride and love that vibrates through the protagonist as Stephen's world changes, but at the same time remains so similar. In particular, the familial bonds are exquisitely drawn, indicating those parts hidden due to our assigned roles - patriarch, matriarch, offspring.

As with his previous novel, the cultural heritage and identity forms the beating heart of Small Worlds, securing the characters in a specific microcosm within the wider community of London, the UK, and Ghana.

Nicely done.

Small Worlds by Caleb Azumah Nelson is one of the best books I’ve read so far this year.

Stephen is our protagonist, an aspiring jazz musician living in Peckham with his Ghanian-born parents. We meet him in his final year of school, as his own small world opens up with the prospect of university and life outside of the community of people he knows best.

Set across three summers and against the backdrop of London’s gentrification and the riots of 2011, the first person narration gives us an insight into Stephen’s struggle to find his space in the world and admit how he’s really feeling to the people he loves. Nelson writes so beautifully about relationships - not only Stephen’s relationship with his childhood friend Del but also the love story of his parents, Eric and Joy.

I knew I would enjoy this book from its very first chapter. There is something so compelling about the rhythm of Nelson’s writing that clicked for me instantly, and I was buoyed along by its flow right to the end. He uses repeated phrases to create links between each section, which act like musical refrains and give the reader a sense of comfort and familiarity as unexpected events affect Stephen’s friends and family.

I enjoyed this much more than Nelson’s debut Open Water and I’ve been trying to work out why - perhaps it’s the perspective, told in first person rather than second person, or the way that the writing perfectly captures family tensions, summer in London, and that weird feeling between school and university. Perhaps I just read Open Water at the wrong time. There are some heavy themes explored in this book but ultimately everything just keeps on moving - as we are reminded throughout Small Worlds, ‘the one thing that can solve most of our problems is dancing’.

Amazing follow up to open water. Great portrayal of race. Like small books under 200 pages that say alot. Beautiful descriptive writing

wow, I have no words! This book was amazing Caleb wrote this so beautifully. This book will definitely be one that I will remember and recommend, think this may be a favourite for this year so far!! 100% recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley and Publisher for this ARC!!

What can I say, other than that I loved this? Nelson could write anything and I'd inhale it. His prose is poetry. The story is beautifully constructed (more so than in Open Water IMO) and there is so much I resonated with. The musicality is great. There were, however, many repetitive sentences. I understand the utility of repetition, but it felt at times excessive.

This book has such beautiful writing. I finished it yesterday and I'm still thinking about it. I thought the structure of the novel was done so well and even though it was just set over three summers I didn't feel as if I missed anything. It was just so well done. I felt so deeply for the characters and for such a small book there was so much depth and development. Read this!

"How could I forget?"

Whenever I read anything by Caleb Azumah Nelson, I feel like I am floating on a cloud. The writing style is so beautiful and I am instantly transported into the surroundings of the book.

Small Worlds is essentially a coming of age story following our main character Stephen. Stephen was born in London to Ghanian parents. Poetic and heartfelt, the story pieces together these "small worlds" that he and his family and friends create or live in. Stephen leaving school, finding love, going to university, loneliness, finding his place in the world, racism, familial relationships, are all topics weaved into this novel. I absolutely adored the development of Stephen and his father's relationship.

All the characters are tied together through their love of music and dancing. The musical element that flows throughout the book is gorgeous and it is just such a lovely read. Stunning.

Another beautifully written book, he writes like poetry! A little over long, could have been another short story but enjoyed never the less

Thank you so much to the publisher via netgalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Caleb Azumah Nelson's debut <i> Open Water </i> was and is one of my favourite reads of 2023 so far. A local author, I was particularly taken with his descriptions of South East London in the summer time - he really captures the spirit of the place with such love and care. The same can be said of <i> Small Worlds </i>, Nelson's second book and spiritual successor to <i> Open Water </i> which follows Stephen, a young man growing up in Peckham, from his late teens through his early 20s. In many ways, this book is very similar to <i> Open Water </i> - the setting, the characters, the poetic style, all mirror his debut. However, I found myself less forgiving of some of the ways that it feels like his writing hasn't progressed or matured.

I was lucky enough to see the author speak at Brixton Library last month, and what struck me was Nelson's sensitivity and vulnerability. Even knowing relatively little about his life, it is immediately apparent that much of his writing is drawn from his own personal experiences, whether it be his own taste in music, personal encounters he has had, or the trains he catches (I too, often catch the Peckham Rye to London Bridge train, as Stephen does so often in this book. He really captures the slightly irritating public transport availability in SE London quite perfectly). In many ways this is a real strength - he's able to conjure Peckham with such precision, not just as place, but as community. Particularly when it comes to this idea of 'Small Worlds', he is able to identify these spheres of community, of support, especially for immigrant communities. Music continues to permeate his writing, touching every part - there's even a QR code on the book jacket that will take you to a playlist curated for the book.

The real strength this book has over <i> Open Water </i> is a more developed sense of narrative cohesion. Where <i> Open Water </i> was more vibes based, <i> Small Worlds </i> has more of a sense of progression, of forward motion. Stephen's relationship with his father was particularly compelling - it is not often that we get to see a relationship between father and son so thoughtfully and vulnerably depicted, especially in a publishing space that rarely makes room for these kinds of stories as told by Black authors . It is definitely an invaluable read in that regard.

There were, however, a few things that started to rub me the wrong way. Nelson has a tendency towards repetition that I don't think is as effective as he thinks it is. The repetition of the book's title, in particular, felt a bit overbearing. The main character, Stephen, tends to react with all kinds of crisis with the same level of melodrama - from his will-they-won't-they girlfriend sleeping with someone else, to actual, genuine grief, Stephen seems to be blindsided and completely knocked off course by even small events. Nelson's depiction of the love interest, Del, felt extremely similar to the love interest in his previous novels, leaving me concerned that the author has some difficulties writing women with the depth required. These are all things that I hope will fall away a little as he develops as a writer, but will also be things I'm less likely to forgive him for going forward.

Another very good book, though - don't get it twisted!

Small Worlds by Caleb Azumah Nelson is a book about the coming of age of the Narrator, Stephen. We follow Stephen over three summers as he tries to find himself while transitioning into adulthood. The book opens with the line: "Since the one thing that can solve most of our problems is dancing..." The theme throughout the book is music and dancing, which provides a safe space for Stephen as he tries to find his identity or navigate the many challenges of growing up as a black man in Britain. His father's expectations, his loss and his separation from the familiar.
There are similarities between Small Worlds and Open Waters by the same author. Both stories tease the reader with a will they or won't they of two friends growing more intimate with each passing year; Their shared experience of finding their identities. Stephen and Del are friends who had the same ambitions of studying music together at university but had to deal with the disappointment of not achieving that dream.
Caleb Azumah Nelson's narrative writing skill is evident in Stephen's emotional journey and Stephen's physical journey to Ghana.
We are introduced to various characters that enrich the story and also have the bonus of reliability.
This is a well-written book by a writer making his mark on the literary scene.

Beautiful writing hiding complete emptiness. Abandoned at 34%. Maybe something eventually happens but I'm tired of waiting for it. I'll try him again in ten years or so when he may have something more interesting to write about than bog-standard teenage angst and lists of albums he likes.

Azumah Nelson's debut, Open Water, was one of my favourite books of last year, and came as an unexpected surprise, so I couldn't wait to read his newest work. His writing blew me away with how genuinely beautiful it was, and it was exactly the same this time around too. Even though the story dealt with sensitive topics, and I wouldn't say it was light reading, I found myself completely immersed and not wanting to put the book down. Having this be set around the time of Mark Duggan and the subsequent riots felt very poignant, as it's something I remember well. I also loved reading about the family dynamic, and the sense of community forged through a love of music and a shared culture. I think Azumah Nelson portrays a really lovely message of gaining independence at such a formative time in a young person's life, forging their own path before coming together again and reconnecting with the important people in your life.

A beautifully written story that covers a couple of generations as they find their way and place in the world... Realising how small the world can feel at times.

The story follows Stephen through his youth to young adulthood - all the highs and lows of joy, sadness, disappointment and hope.

Highly recommended - one that will live with me forever.

never in a million years will i be able to write a review for how beautiful this book is. it’s a touching story about growing up and finding yourself, love, grief, food, music, race, migration and hope.
i took my time reading every line and there is really no words wasted here. i lost track of how many times i welled up at the everyday acts of love, and the brutally honest portrayal of grief and loss. the tenderness of music and food are weaved throughout the story and bring a sense of coziness.
like open water, this is a must read!

Absolutely impeccable. I loved Nelson's first novel and this one even better. I qas gripped and read it in 2 sittings. I don't have the ability to put in to words how good this book is. I just felt captivated.. like.. I don't actually know what I have done the past 2 days apart from read.. did I even eat?!

I really enjoyed this niovel, the follow-up to the much-hyped Open Water. It's very stylistically inventive, with lots of reptition which worked extremely well for me. The only thing I didn't enjoy were the repeated references to the titular 'small worlds' various characters found themselves in, which felt heavy handed to me after the first few times and went on for the entirety of the novel.. A compelling coming of age saga which felt very rooted in the world it portrays - highly recommended and thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I was so nervous to read this after having loved Open Water so much, would it live up to my expectations ?? YES!! and maybe i even loved this one more .

Written in the same lyrical , poetic style , we follow Stephen over three consecutive summers . it's a love story, it's a coming of age story and it's a story about family relationships . Like Open Water the author's love of music, dance and Black culture shines through the novel and also that of the immigrant experience in the UK . It's dreamy and vivid and one perfect to get lost in over a sultry summer day. If you loved Open Water then you will not be disappointed

Even more beautiful than his first book!!
A story about love, family, grief, community and the power of music.
I love his poetic writing, the repeated phrases that link everything together through the book. The slight disjointed nature of jumping from one scene to the next that creates Stephen’s life.
A story about emigration and the hardships it can create for people, for communities and the damage that can be passed onto our children when we’re truly trying our best.

Ultimately a story about love in all its many forms.

This is such a wonderful book, the writing is so beautiful and lyrical , I get lost in the words. I love Caleb Azumah Nelson’s portrayal of Black culture in the UK, particularly from a male perspective, I particularly liked reading the male perspective on love, obviously as a female it’s not a perspective I get to read a lot of and it’s not generally covered by a lot of authors. There isn’t anything I can say that does this book the justice it deserves, only that you should definitely read it, beg, steal or borrow ! ( Although don’t steak it’s a joke bug your library if they don’t have it in ) I can’t wait for what to come next from Caleb.


I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This novel was such a joy. With Nelson's trademarked lyrical beauty, and compelling family dynamics, there was much to love in this story.