A review by discarded_dust_jacket
Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson

emotional 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? It's complicated

3.5

The phrase “open water” is used to describe both love and trauma in this beautifully-written story about the meeting and merging of two lives, which I find so fitting considering those are the book’s two main themes. 

“You know that to love is both to swim and to drown. You know to love is to be a whole, partial, a joint, a fracture, a heart, a bone. It is to bleed and heal. It is to be in the world, honest. It is to place someone next to your beating heart, in the absolute darkness of your inner, and trust they will hold you close.” (Pg. 112)

This is a story that tackles the tenderness of love but also the terror of being truly seen. It’s a story about existing as a Black man, and the constant fear that any day could be your last when the world (especially the police) looks at you and sees something dangerous. It’s a story about masculinity, mental health, and the suppression of emotions. It’s a story about Black art, music, culture, and joy.

If you like your prose to flow like poetry, this is the love story for you. This was gorgeous.
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