Reviews tagging 'Suicidal thoughts'

Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson

8 reviews

peggy_racham's review against another edition

5.0

"Ask: if flexing is being able to say the most in the least amount of words, is there a greater flex than love?"

Second person perspective, my beloved. Never have I read a love story quite so profound and beautifly written and also tragic.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Murder, Police brutality, Racism, Alcohol, Drug use, Animal death, Blood, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, and Death

annick's review

dark emotional inspiring mysterious 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

4.5

Highly recommend. With patience you reveal the beauty in the lyrical heartbreak of this prose. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Racism, and Murder

Moderate: Grief, Police brutality, and Death of parent

Minor: Sexual content and Suicidal thoughts

jeslis's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

Notes:
- New favourite book! Had absolutely everything I loved about literary fiction and I flew through it so fast I had to stop myself from finishing it in one day because I didn't want it to end.
- The prose was gorgeous and second POV was done so poetically.
- Loved the exploration of racism and how the perception of race can dictate the lived experience of so many. The latter in particular was done in a way that was so vivid and yet honed in on such small moments that are inflated with so much meaning.

- I also loved the way this book's emotional narrative went from falling in love with your best friend to the feeling of lost love. It was a really significant emotional journey to go on and what you experience in the beginning compared to where you are after only 145 pages is so different.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts

lb781's review

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75

This is a beautiful book, an ode to Blackness and to Black Bodies. Although there is a main story, I would describe the writing more as poetry than as a novel. It’s definitely for people in the mood of reading something pretty “intellectual” , which requires a lot of focus. Not for people who hate poetry ! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Racism, Police brutality, Violence, and Death

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Drug use, and Mental illness

Minor: Sexual content

horizonous's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Mental illness, and Racism

Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Grief, Gun violence, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Animal death

Minor: Death

◦ Death (Minor): Grandparent
◦ Death (Moderate): Friend
◦ Mental Illness (Graphic): Depression
◦ Mental Illness (Moderate): Anxiety

chloebethx_'s review

emotional hopeful 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

5.0

This novella is a truly inspiring piece of storytelling! It feels like such a real, rich and beautiful journey through black love and the harsh reality of being a young black British man in modern society.
I would fully recommend this to anyone and everyone!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism, Death, Suicidal thoughts, and Police brutality

marsh_wren's review

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-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

5.0

On feeling joy, falling in love, being seen, and the weight of oppression. This book is so, so good. Nelson's writing is poetic, nuanced, and leaves you thinking and reflecting. Please read this book. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Police brutality, Racism, and Suicidal thoughts

hannahdotmay's review

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, and Hate crime