A review by 5aru
Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-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

4.0

Very poetically written, Open Water is a moving and well-executed study of a relationship between two marked bodies — bodies marked as Black in a British context, and hence deeply affected by the social perceptions of their Blackness. Nelson effectively illustrates just how deeply this fearful, constrained existence affects the psyche, delivering poignant social commentary while offering a deeply human and quite romantic portrayal of the slow-burn relationship between our two protagonists.

My main complaint is, however, precisely related to the writing style. The author uses a device based on repetition, which does effectively emphasize certain key themes and motifs throughout the novel, and at times also enhances the emotion of certain scenes. However, it is easy to misuse such devices, and this misuse quickly evidences itself: the novel reads repetitive, as some few sentences are recalled and called back again and again, reappearing in sometimes very quick succession (especially since this novella is really quite short). This seems unnecessary, less a poetic device than a "trying to reach the wordcount of an essay" type of situation. I do wish it hadn't been abused as much, though it does not by any means diminish the significance of the book's content.
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