Reviews with content warning for Grief - Open Water

Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson

99 reviews

alisonfaith426's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

Content Warnings

icarusandthesun's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

a wonderful book, but simply wasn't for me.

nelson's writing is plain beautiful. lyrical. it sounds like a song, like a poem, like a friend telling you about their woes, like an observation of the world - its beauty and terrors - all in one.

i've never seen anyone describe life and love quite like he did. nelson's portrayal of love must be one of the most comforting, most romantic and rawest portrayals one can find in literature today.
passages heart-wrenching, alternating between joy and grief. appreciation for all kinds of art created by people of color. celebrating it.

nevertheless, i was a little bored. and i want to note that that's totally on me, not the book. since it is a very lyrical piece, it doesn't have a lot of plot. i also found it a little hard to concentrate on some of the passages, kept zoning out, because there were a lot of repetitions (used as a stylistic device and executed beautifully, but alas), long descriptions of memories and photographs of moments to remember. i just couldn't quite find my footing, if that makes sense.

it was kind of like swimming in open water - lyrical and sensitive words flowing all around you, but there was nothing to grasp, nothing that wouldn't immediately seep through your hands again, leaving you with but open water, and no land to be seen.
if you like swimming, that's great, you'll love this. but personally, i'm not one to swim.

but whatever! will this stop me from reading nelson's second book? absolutely not.
even if i won't be staying for the story, i will for the quotes, i know it. because the ones in open water were all gorgeous, filled with dreams and pure truth.

Content Warnings

moriahleigh's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Content Warnings

lonna_23's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

emfield's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

tashtasher's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

afion's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

Favourite quote:

That is what you are being framed as, a container, a vessel, a body, you have been made a body, all those years ago, before your lifetime, before anyone else who is currently in your lifetime, and now you are here, a body, you have been made a body, and sometimes this is hard, because you know you are so much more.

Content Warnings