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nickoliver 's review for:
Small Worlds
by Caleb Azumah Nelson
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
First and foremost, this book had absolutely exquisite writing. I was in awe of Nelson’s talent and couldn’t get enough of the way he sometimes almost played with words. Admittedly, his tendency to tack on clause after clause after clause instead of ending sentences also made reading a bit exhausting at times, because it led to whole paragraphs that were essentially just one sentence. But it also wasn’t too convoluted. In any way, I was enthralled by his writing style and would definitely pick up more books by him just based on that alone.
“Small Worlds” started in 2010 in London and went on for about two years, while also taking a detour to Ghana at times (and back to the 80's when telling the story of Stephen’s parents). I sincerely believe that that time period was part of the reason why I got so emotional reading this. I was a teenager at the time, same as Stephen (albeit a bit younger than him), so it felt nostalgic and relatable and vulnerable to me despite mine and Stephen’s personalities and lives not matching up at all in any aspect whatsoever.
The story focused a lot on community and family, especially from an immigrant’s son’s point of view. Ghanaian culture, and building a home away from home despite the challenges life threw your way, was very central. For a big part of the book, Stephen had a difficult relationship with his father, as he wanted to be a musician and his father didn’t approve. I do have to say I was surprised to see the way their relationship developed and to see them change and grow together. That was lovely to experience, even if it also left me being conflicted about my feelings. There were also some tragedies that happened, which were upsetting to read about while at the same time not being too intense. For example, Nelson explored some real life events at the time that had to do with racism and police brutality, and they made my stomach drop into my shoes. But because it was only part of the story and the next chapter sometimes didn’t keep following that thread, it didn't become too heavy.
Another big part of the book was Stephen’s relationship and infatuation with Del, his best friend and a fellow musician. Their relationship was so tender and sweet, and I loved it so much despite their ups and downs and even though it wasn’t perfect (or even existed for a lot of the book). Del did do some things that infuriated me that she never really got called out for, but at the same time, Nelson wrote her in a way that also didn’t make her actions inexcusable or her an infuriating and annoying character. She just felt real.
Plus, I’d expected certain things to happen with the romance that Nelson didn’t stoop down to. I’d expected Stephen to try and lose himself in other women a lot more than he did, which I found a lovely surprise. I’d always had a hard time believing in characters’ love for each other when they spent half the book sleeping with strangers, but that didn’t happen here at all. The relationship Stephen had with another character was just as grounded, just as built up, as the one he’d had with Del, and I’d appreciated that a lot.
In general, I really liked Stephen as a protagonist. One might argue that he was a bit too emotionally mature for a young adult, but I found him a breath of fresh air and completely immersed myself in his emotions. Just like Del, none of his actions were anger-inducing, even if you didn’t always completely agree with them. The way Nelson focused on his inner wellbeing did make me feel a bit too much at times, and I found myself wanting to cry at certain chapters and paragraphs.
While for the most part, I really loved the side characters, I do have to say that there were a few too many of them. Some stayed very flat and one-dimensional, and when they got mentioned in the story, I had trouble remembering who they were to begin with. This might be the only genuine complaint I have about the book, though.
I can’t entirely explain why I didn’t give the book 5 stars, but it just didn’t feel completely like a 5-star-read. But still, overall, I loved this book. I read it relatively quickly despite the sometimes challenging writing, and it left me scrubbed raw at times in the best way possible. I will definitely keep this author on my radar for future books!
“Small Worlds” started in 2010 in London and went on for about two years, while also taking a detour to Ghana at times (and back to the 80's when telling the story of Stephen’s parents). I sincerely believe that that time period was part of the reason why I got so emotional reading this. I was a teenager at the time, same as Stephen (albeit a bit younger than him), so it felt nostalgic and relatable and vulnerable to me despite mine and Stephen’s personalities and lives not matching up at all in any aspect whatsoever.
The story focused a lot on community and family, especially from an immigrant’s son’s point of view. Ghanaian culture, and building a home away from home despite the challenges life threw your way, was very central. For a big part of the book, Stephen had a difficult relationship with his father, as he wanted to be a musician and his father didn’t approve. I do have to say I was surprised to see the way their relationship developed and to see them change and grow together. That was lovely to experience, even if it also left me being conflicted about my feelings. There were also some tragedies that happened, which were upsetting to read about while at the same time not being too intense. For example, Nelson explored some real life events at the time that had to do with racism and police brutality, and they made my stomach drop into my shoes. But because it was only part of the story and the next chapter sometimes didn’t keep following that thread, it didn't become too heavy.
Another big part of the book was Stephen’s relationship and infatuation with Del, his best friend and a fellow musician. Their relationship was so tender and sweet, and I loved it so much despite their ups and downs and even though it wasn’t perfect (or even existed for a lot of the book). Del did do some things that infuriated me that she never really got called out for, but at the same time, Nelson wrote her in a way that also didn’t make her actions inexcusable or her an infuriating and annoying character. She just felt real.
Plus, I’d expected certain things to happen with the romance that Nelson didn’t stoop down to. I’d expected Stephen to try and lose himself in other women a lot more than he did, which I found a lovely surprise. I’d always had a hard time believing in characters’ love for each other when they spent half the book sleeping with strangers, but that didn’t happen here at all. The relationship Stephen had with another character was just as grounded, just as built up, as the one he’d had with Del, and I’d appreciated that a lot.
In general, I really liked Stephen as a protagonist. One might argue that he was a bit too emotionally mature for a young adult, but I found him a breath of fresh air and completely immersed myself in his emotions. Just like Del, none of his actions were anger-inducing, even if you didn’t always completely agree with them. The way Nelson focused on his inner wellbeing did make me feel a bit too much at times, and I found myself wanting to cry at certain chapters and paragraphs.
While for the most part, I really loved the side characters, I do have to say that there were a few too many of them. Some stayed very flat and one-dimensional, and when they got mentioned in the story, I had trouble remembering who they were to begin with. This might be the only genuine complaint I have about the book, though.
I can’t entirely explain why I didn’t give the book 5 stars, but it just didn’t feel completely like a 5-star-read. But still, overall, I loved this book. I read it relatively quickly despite the sometimes challenging writing, and it left me scrubbed raw at times in the best way possible. I will definitely keep this author on my radar for future books!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent
Moderate: Racism, Violence
Minor: Sexual content, Slavery