Reviews with content warning for Grief - Open Water

Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson

96 reviews

jayisreading's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

4.75

It’s one thing to be looked at, and another to be seen.

Open Water was a beautiful homage to Black love, Black tenderness, and Black art. Azumah Nelson’s prose was just stunning and dreamlike, especially how he captures the intimacy that comes with falling in love. So much of it came down to the little details that one notices about their beloved that I thought was so beautifully captured. I think what made this novel all the more intimate was a result of it being written in second person, positioning the reader to really experience how the narrator feels, the sensation that comes with being seen with such care and tenderness by a lover.

This novel is also a celebration of Black art. Azumah Nelson wonderfully weaves into his story the works of Black creatives including but not limited to James Baldwin, Barry Jenkins, Kelsey Lu, and more. In many ways, I felt the choice to make the main characters of this novel be artists themselves was a subtle yet powerful way for Azumah Nelson to show how Black artists continue the tradition to shape the beauty of Blackness.

Open Water explored other themes as well, such as Black masculinity and being Black in the United Kingdom. I did feel that these were a little too subtly addressed, perhaps a result of the novel’s primary focus being on a relationship. I think a part of me wanted this novel to be a little longer, as a result, to see how Azumah Nelson could have gone more in depth with these themes. I also wish the characters were a little more developed, just to see a clearer progress in the story.

I will say that Azumah Nelson has a distinct writing style that will work for some readers, while others may find it incredibly off-putting, whether it be because of the second-person narrative or the admittedly very purple prose (or perhaps both). I think convincing second-person narratives are quite difficult to write, but I thought Azumah Nelson handled it really well to fit the story he wanted to tell. I also really appreciated the prose (even if it did, at times, get a little too lyrical), and I could see how he was heavily influenced by other Black writers.

This was a really powerful debut novel, and I really look forward to reading more of Azumah Nelson’s writings in the near future.

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autismandniamh's review

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emotional reflective sad slow-paced

4.5

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ali1311's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful reflective fast-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

3.75

The writing in this book is so lovely and it made me YEARN! The way love is discussed is really beautiful and poetic. The actual pacing and plot of the book felt a bit estranged for some reason, and I think it may be the writing in 2nd person. I think the use of that perspective was done really well, but it still made it hard to entirely follow along. I'm also kinda mad at the main character, but I suppose that means the book was well crafted. But I'm still mad at him.

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peggy_racham's review against another edition

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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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stellahadz's review

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emotional reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

What an absolutely gorgeous book. The writing is unique and poetic, and the main characters have depth to them despite not even having names. Open Water is a short book, but it packs a real emotional punch. Caleb Azumah Nelson captures the feeling of falling in love so beautifully; the story felt like it was being told through the memories of someone reliving their love. What kind of irony is it when an author writes so brilliantly about what happens when language fails us?

Side note: I loved all the references to Zadie Smith! I haven't read NW yet but added it to my TBR the second I saw it mentioned in this book.

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keiaria's review

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challenging emotional lighthearted reflective sad tense medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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meggy_lewis's review

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emotional reflective tense slow-paced

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

5.0

It is not my most traditional 5-star review as this was a deeply uncomfortable read that made me question what I knew about myself. Caleb Azumah Nelson's beautiful prose so magically replicates the complexity and reality of Blackness, masculinity, and grief that it's hard to believe that the novella is only 145 pages long. You can get lost in the story, the emotions, and the characters and truly feel as if you're breathing with them.

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oz2021's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful 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

4.5

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cass_ward's review

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challenging emotional hopeful inspiring 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? No

4.25

I had a hard time getting into the second person POV at first, but it was used perfectly. Caleb puts the reader into the shoes of a young, Black man and leads us into an experience of joy, love, fear, and deep sadness and it was, at least in my opinion, essential that the book be written that way. This MC laughed with his friends, and cried alone in the dark. He fell in love and grappled with his reality of “[praying] every day that this will not be the day.” We existed in the fullness of his life with him and that’s important because Black men are never given permission to show these parts of themselves. They are told to be small, to fit a part society wants them to play, to hide away and suppress and ignore and never, ever cry or be weak. And all the while, more Black men and boys are dying, and more pain and grief are accumulating.

I loved that this book has honest depictions of grief and pain and fear, and also joy and love and life in equal amounts. This isn’t just a story of how a Black man endures trauma. This is a story of how a Black man lives in the truth of systemic racism and the hope for joy despite it.

What a stunning story. What an important one.

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annick's review

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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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