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challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Police brutality
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Police brutality
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Police brutality
Minor: Drug use
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A beautiful piece of literature about what it means to fall in love. The main character and his love interest fit together like a perfectly composed symphony, like rhythm itself. A natural and tender kind of romance and discovery of oneself. I found myself thinking about movies like Poetic Justice and Love Jones, the relationship between Max and Kyle on Living Single, etc. It’s more than a romance, it’s representation and a celebration of black art and culture. Poetic and captivating with rich storytelling and everlasting quotes.
Content Warnings
Minor: Racism, Police brutality
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Police brutality
Moderate: Racism
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Police brutality
Moderate: Death
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
„It’s one thing to be looked at, it’s another to be seen“
This book is so beautifully written that it reads almost like a poem. I found the story to be quite romantic in the beginning and super relatable but also heartbreaking throughout. Loved the parts that described black culture, the main characters relationships to his family members and how timid they were described, the music recommendations and the pace. The reality of being a young black man in a predominantly white country experiencing police violence and racial violence is heartbreaking and I was so hurt to read how it affected the main character. Reasons that made me give this book 4 stars „only“ are that I read it in English, which is not my first language and I think I missed some information or more of a feeling because of that. And I think I read it at the wrong time, it’s a summers read and I wasn’t in the right headspace.
This book is so beautifully written that it reads almost like a poem. I found the story to be quite romantic in the beginning and super relatable but also heartbreaking throughout. Loved the parts that described black culture, the main characters relationships to his family members and how timid they were described, the music recommendations and the pace. The reality of being a young black man in a predominantly white country experiencing police violence and racial violence is heartbreaking and I was so hurt to read how it affected the main character. Reasons that made me give this book 4 stars „only“ are that I read it in English, which is not my first language and I think I missed some information or more of a feeling because of that. And I think I read it at the wrong time, it’s a summers read and I wasn’t in the right headspace.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Police brutality
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Sexual content
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
tense
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Violence, Police brutality
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
“ℑ𝔱’𝔰 𝔬𝔫𝔢 𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔱𝔬 𝔟𝔢 𝔩𝔬𝔬𝔨𝔢𝔡 𝔞𝔱, 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔞𝔫𝔬𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔯 𝔱𝔬 𝔟𝔢 𝔰𝔢𝔢𝔫.”
Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson
☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Wow!
This read was so captivating, the writing was enchanting. The whole book was written in second person and while it was a bit odd at first, it actually ended up being the reason I was sucked into the story so fast.
36% into the book I wrote a note:
This book is beautiful. I’ve never been one to really care about beautiful writing or prose, but I think I get it now.
This love story is so normal, normal people in their normal lives doing normal things, but somehow the author has written it to be so beautiful and captivating. I can’t stop reading it and I can’t get my mind off of it.
The second half of the book got more serious and more serious themes emerged, like police brutality and mental health. It gave me a completely new perspective and deeper understanding of what so many Black people deal with and have to go through in their everyday lives. The quote “It’s one thing to be looked at, and another to be seen.” really hits hard.
After reading the last chapter and the last words of the book I just burst into tears. Partially from being happy, partially from being sad, partially from being relieved.
Overall, this is probably the most beautifully written book I have ever read.
Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson
☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Wow!
This read was so captivating, the writing was enchanting. The whole book was written in second person and while it was a bit odd at first, it actually ended up being the reason I was sucked into the story so fast.
36% into the book I wrote a note:
This book is beautiful. I’ve never been one to really care about beautiful writing or prose, but I think I get it now.
This love story is so normal, normal people in their normal lives doing normal things, but somehow the author has written it to be so beautiful and captivating. I can’t stop reading it and I can’t get my mind off of it.
The second half of the book got more serious and more serious themes emerged, like police brutality and mental health. It gave me a completely new perspective and deeper understanding of what so many Black people deal with and have to go through in their everyday lives. The quote “It’s one thing to be looked at, and another to be seen.” really hits hard.
After reading the last chapter and the last words of the book I just burst into tears. Partially from being happy, partially from being sad, partially from being relieved.
Overall, this is probably the most beautifully written book I have ever read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality
emotional
reflective
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:
Complicated
The prose of this book is stunning. Nelson uses a second person POV, which I don’t consume a lot of, but the use allows for so much more depth in this story. The POV made this a slower read, encouraging every word to be read and absorbed fully. Nelson captures the complexities of each relationship in a tragically beautiful way, including the anxious reality of living as a black man in society. I look forward to reading more by Caleb Azumah Nelson and know I will carry this debut close.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Police brutality