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A review by annescorner
Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson
5.0
This novel is powerful. I don't think words are enough to describe how this story made me feel; that is also the reason why I wanted this short novel to be a slow read: to fully consume the beautiful poetry-like prose.
It almost is like a vignette-style novel, skipping time and events not relevant to the story, focusing on what is important: him, her, being Black. "Being Black" is enormously focused on in this novel, how especially he feels about being Black, his thoughts, anxieties and experiences. Many topics are picked up upon, some of them being police brutality, prejudices, assumptions, and the want to 'be free'.
Art, especially music and literature, also play a big role. There are many references to music and novels, those of Black artists and authors, in this novel - and how they impact the characters' lives.
The writing is beautiful. Second-person narration did take some getting used to, but it felt as though the narrator talked to the reader about them, making me feel as though that I'm the one experiences all this. It felt like a speech or a letter; which in some way it was. There were many anaphors and repetitions in the writing, which really underlined and highlighted important themes and topics. Another interesting thing about the writing - which I actually only realised half-way into the novel - is that none of the two main characters' names is ever mentioned. They are always 'you' and 'she'. Their romance plays a huge part in the novel, but it is not the sole focus.
I would recommend this novel to anyone, actually. It not only is beautifully written (and short), but it also deals with heart-hitting topics as well as a great romance. A new favourite!
It almost is like a vignette-style novel, skipping time and events not relevant to the story, focusing on what is important: him, her, being Black. "Being Black" is enormously focused on in this novel, how especially he feels about being Black, his thoughts, anxieties and experiences. Many topics are picked up upon, some of them being police brutality, prejudices, assumptions, and the want to 'be free'.
Art, especially music and literature, also play a big role. There are many references to music and novels, those of Black artists and authors, in this novel - and how they impact the characters' lives.
The writing is beautiful. Second-person narration did take some getting used to, but it felt as though the narrator talked to the reader about them, making me feel as though that I'm the one experiences all this. It felt like a speech or a letter; which in some way it was. There were many anaphors and repetitions in the writing, which really underlined and highlighted important themes and topics. Another interesting thing about the writing - which I actually only realised half-way into the novel - is that none of the two main characters' names is ever mentioned. They are always 'you' and 'she'. Their romance plays a huge part in the novel, but it is not the sole focus.
I would recommend this novel to anyone, actually. It not only is beautifully written (and short), but it also deals with heart-hitting topics as well as a great romance. A new favourite!