A review by hollyrebecca
Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson

challenging dark emotional reflective fast-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

5.0

'I love you, you know?' She has swum out into open water, and it is not long before you join her. You take but a moment before saying, 'I love you too!’

A uniquely told, beautiful and poignant tale of love and life as a young black man in London.

The love story in this book is heartbreakingly real. From its unfortunate origins, through drunken confessions, warm and joyful summer nights, navigating long distance relationships, to stilted emotional communication and healing from trauma. This is one of the most powerful depictions of love I’ve ever read.

Caleb has used some really interesting writing techniques in this story, including utilising second person and never sharing the male leads name. This lends a sensation of a self-insert story and situates you more deeply in the main character’s headspace throughout.

This book is beautiful and lyrical in its prose while describing the harsh reality of life in London as a young black man, through racism, police brutality, being unseen and being seen as other. The omnipresence of this reality and the resultant trauma it causes are a key feature of this story in the thought processes of our main character.

I have never highlighted so many passages from a book as this, both to enjoy the almost poetic writing and to educate myself on the black experience and black culture.

A powerful read I will forever remember!

You understand. Often, you're not given a name. You would like to take the liberty. But even if you don't name yourself or name your experience, it remains. Rising to the surface, oil swimming in water.

To be you is to apologize and often that apology comes in the form of suppression and that suppression is indiscriminate
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