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A review by gabiirayner
Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson
3.0
part of me truly despises the fact that I now feel I have to log and quantify every single piece of media I consume because my numerical rating of 3.5 is absolutely NOT a reflection of how incredible the lyrical prose of the author is.
he is so clearly a poet, and just because I'm not accustomed to it does not mean it's not beautiful and tender and powerful because it definitely is, it's just a touch too ?? cloying? nebulous? for my personal taste. but maybe that's the point.
this book is important and touching in its overt Blackness and its intertwined themes of masculinity and systemic racism told through the eyes of one young man (I particularly love the choice of second person to pull the reader into the life of a Black man, so powerful), and I wish that I was more well-versed in the poetic narrative style because I want to enjoy this to the level it deserves.
he is so clearly a poet, and just because I'm not accustomed to it does not mean it's not beautiful and tender and powerful because it definitely is, it's just a touch too ?? cloying? nebulous? for my personal taste. but maybe that's the point.
this book is important and touching in its overt Blackness and its intertwined themes of masculinity and systemic racism told through the eyes of one young man (I particularly love the choice of second person to pull the reader into the life of a Black man, so powerful), and I wish that I was more well-versed in the poetic narrative style because I want to enjoy this to the level it deserves.