Caleb Azumah Nelson's astonishingly exquisite debut novella is a beautifully crafted piece of poetic art that carries an impact well above its relatively short length. It explores identity, what it is to be a young black Londoner, the nature of masculinity, the excruciating exhaustion, fragmentation and trauma of racism, the police brutality, and of constantly not being seen, only perceived as being the black other. Two black artists from similar backgrounds, he's a photographer, and she, a dancer, find themselves moving beyond the parameters of their friendship into the the deeper, open waters of an emotionally intense and intimate relationship as they become lovers. Inevitably, he brings his personal history, its scars, fears and insecurity too, and when the relationship ends and his lover returns to Dublin, the reverberations continue. There is love, heartbreak and hope in the poignant and moving narrative, littered with black cultural references, and which resonates so deeply with our contemporary realities. An unforgettable read. Many thanks to Penguin UK for an ARC.

Open Water follows the story of two Black artists falling in and out of love in London. He’s a photographer, she’s a dancer and they first meet in a South East London pub through friends. As any love story, they begin as friends and we follow their blossoming relationship. Despite being a love story it’s also a heartbreaking look into being a young black man in London and Caleb writes with nuance about race, police brutality and masculinity.

It was written in second person narrative, with effectively the reader becoming the main character, and I found this really hard to get to grips with. I think that may have been the main reason why I struggled to connect with the characters. With that being said, it was absolutely beautifully written in lyrical prose and you cannot fault his work!

With it only being a short book, at points, I felt like there could have been a lot more description to help with full understanding of what was going on. I’m glad that I read it as it’s something out of my comfort zone and a style of writing that I’m not used to but unfortunately, this book just wasn’t for me. I still recommend picking it up for yourself to form your own opinions as like I said it’s still a beautiful written piece of work!

Lastly, I also think that I would enjoy it more in paperback form rather than on my Kindle. I feel as though the layout in paperback would be easier to follow and I could be wrong but I think some parts of the book also included pictures / illustrations which obviously I couldn’t see. If I was to see the paperback in a shop I would 100% have a flick through to see what I was missing!

Thank you so much NetGalley, Caleb Azumah Nelson & Viking Books for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book is out 4th Feb 2021!

Tender, moving, full of soul and beautifully written… what a gorgeous debut novel! This was a powerful read that I encourage you to pick up. I don't know if it will be an all-time favourite, but it's definitely something that I will be thinking about for a long time!

Caleb Azumah Nelson is a 26 year old South-East London based writer and photographer – and this, his beautifully elegant and affecting debut novel has a second person narrator with much of the same background.

The author has said of his writing and photography in a way which I think captures the impulse behind this book.

"Black people generally are subject to sociological organisation; subject to continuous discrimination on institutional and structural levels; rendered subject and servile and dangerous, criminal, broken. I ask those in front of the lens, those on the page, to bring themselves. Bring themselves whole. Bring themselves true. To bring their quiet, the rich interior lives which are often overlooked. To bring their joy. There’s power in this. Photography, like writing, is a memorial device, selecting a moment to be preserved, one which emerges from the flow of time but is imbued with all that we know, all that we feel. In this way, photography allows us to build our own archives. To assemble our own legacies. Speak our own truths. Our joy."

The story is a transparent one – but with depth: just like the open water of the title.

Two young black people meet in London – she is a dancer (although studying literature at University in Dublin- which I think has encouraged some slightly lazy Rooney comparisons), he a photographer and sometime writer.

Both won scholarships to private schools in South London – both one of a handful of black pupils, he taking refuge and expressing himself (rather inevitably) in basketball, she in dance – and their shared history makes their bond immediate and their friendship deep. This deep bond and an fear of breaking it complicates the trajectory of their relationship towards its inevitable end point, as the two eventually swim out into the deeper waters of love.

Their friendship and relationship, like the book, takes place at different levels – shared trips into the London nightlife (fast food, tube lines, Uber rides, sweaty parties, the Carnival, cinemas) take place against an self-conscious discussion of Black photographers, painters, essayist and authors (as well as of the musicians and Directors whose works they love and experience).

After a Summer together a return of his now girlfriend to Dublin causes the narrator to reflect on his new vulnerability

"You hold off the tears until the train has pulled away, until you are stumbling down the platform. It is like the summer has been one long night and you have just woken up. It is like you both dived into the open water, but you have resurfaced with her elsewhere. It is like you formed a joint only to fracture, only to break. It is an ache you have not known and do not know how to name. It is terrifying. And yet, you knew what you were getting into. 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. To love is to trust, to trust is to have faith. How else are you meant to love? You knew what you were getting into, but taking the Underground, returning home with no certainty of when you will see her next, it is terrifying."

Increasingly also – the micro aggressions and the more overt police prejudices that bookend the experience of the narrator as a young black man in London – also affect his ability to engage in the relationship.

In some ways the relationship itself – and the discovery of the narrator that he has someone in his life who really sees him as he is,

"You lost her gaze for a moment and your breath quickened, as when a dropped call across a distance gains unexpected gravity. You would soon learn that love made you worry, but it also made you beautiful. Love made you Black, as in, you were most coloured when in her presence. It was not a cause for concern; one must rejoice! You could be yourselves."

makes the prejudiced gaze and lazy stereotyping of a structurally racist City even harder for him to bear.

The line “It’s one thing to be looked at and another to be seen” recurs frequently – at first positively but then I feel negatively as a man tired of being looked at can no longer make himself vulnerable enough to be seen.

"You’ve been wondering about your own relationship to open water. You’ve been wondering about the trauma and how it always finds its way to the surface, floating in the ocean. You’ve been wondering about how to protect that trauma from consumption. You’ve been wondering about departing, about being elsewhere. You have always thought if you opened your mouth in open water you would drown, but if you didn’t open your mouth you would suffocate. So here you are, drowning. You came here to ask for forgiveness. You came here to tell her you are sorry that you wouldn’t let her hold you in this open water. You came here to tell her the truth"

The second person narration I feel fits the idea of observation – of being looked at and being seen – with the narrator viewing himself – although at times it also adds a certain distancing. And the frequent references to Black theory via the essayists, painters, photographers, authors and the exploration of what lies behind the character’s love of their favourite music and films – has I think both the same motivation and the same sometimes effect.

But overall this is a love story and an examination of what it means to be a British black male, as well as one which is one surely likely to feature on literary prize lists in 2021

Electric prose; poetry in motion which crackles across the page. One to come back to again and again, and to take something new from each time.

While I didn't love the second-person perspective, Neslon is obviously headed for big things with writing like this. I can imagine an adaptation of this so clearly, it's so vivid.

Open Water by Calum Azumah Nelson is beautifully written and has a heartbreaking narrative arc. It is written in a second-person perspective, which did take me a while to warm to, but I think it added to the positive experience of reading this book.

The repeated references to Zadie Smith warmed my heart and made me want to read *NW*, one of the only Smith books I have not read, even more (a true feat). I was planning to include it in my February TBR anyway, but now it is sealed in.

> The rest of the day, a blanket draped over you, poring over the pages of a novel – Zadie Smith's *NW*

The story is about a slow burn romance between a photographer and a dancer and it is wonderfully atmospheric. Much of the setting is domestic, which I found very cozy, which I especially appreciated because of the cold and misty weather this midwinter. I wish to spend the day draped in a blanket, poring over *NW* – hopefully, I can make that a reality soon.

Open Water is not *just* a cozy romance, however. The main character, the photographer, gives a lot of thought to how others in London see him, as a man inhabiting a Black body. Numerous times, he passes police officers and feels uneasy, with good reason:

> You live broken, you live small, lest someone makes you smaller, lest someone breaks you. You are a Black body, container, vessel, property. You are treated as such because property is easy to destroy and plunder.

I would absolutely recommend this book. It is gorgeous and heart bruising, and I have rated it five stars.

This may be short but it definitely packs a punch.

We follow two black artists as they take the plunge from friends to lovers. We explore their day to day lives as they struggle with issues such as their mental health and racial social norms.

The prose in this is completely stunning and definitely unique. Everything flows together beautifully and some quotes are haunting.

I love how this touched on the common concerns of not wanting to ruin a friendship but also being scared to completely open up to someone.

The racial issues raised in this were completely and heartbreaking. Young black people should not be scared to walk down the street because of police brutality!!!

A fantastic debut and I can't wait to see what the author does next.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin for providing me with a copy to read

I finished this and marinated on it for a while. The more time I have away from it, the more that I like it. It was so beautiful, like gorgeously written, and touched on things like trauma, and what it means to try and grasp at life and love in a black body perceived as threatening, as well as how life's afflictions can halt the pursuit of love. I'll be thinking about it for a while.

Beautifully lyrical. A fascinating exploration of love, art, race and masculinity. It reads like poetry in places and is outstanding for a debut novel.
I did think it was a bit of a slow starter but that may be due to me getting used to his writing style. It's written in second person which isn't really my thing. A brilliant read that I will be recommending to people. I think this book is going to blow it big time and deservedly so

Wow. One of the best books I have ever read. It’s so beautiful, poetic and relatable. It balances the feelings and experiences of falling in love with being a black man in London incredibly well, and I will be sure to recommend this book to everyone I know.

This is an emotional, lyrical debut novel about two young Black people in London and how their relationship develops, falling in and out of love. I found it to be quite a mixed reading experience, with many moments of beautiful writing and elegantly expressed ideas, but also a few slightly jarring metaphors and pieces of dialogue that took me out of the story. However I can forgive this for the most part because it's a debut and because the writing shines in so many parts of this book: I loved the explorations of art and how to express emotions that can't be said in words, and how certain phrases were repeated across the novel, appearing in different contexts and meaning different things.

This book really shines in the moments of simplicity, when a lot is said in a few words. There were moments where it felt slightly overwritten or heavy-handed, but also points where I was left wanting slightly more, but instead we were rushed onto something else with not much time left for reflection on what felt like points in the characters' journeys that deserved more time. I also wanted a little more from the woman in the relationship - it's narrated in second person from an unnamed man's perspective so it felt very introspective, but there wasn't enough time spent on the characters' early friendship for me to really get to know the other half of the relationship. Much of the story revolves around their communication issues so perhaps this was appropriate, but generally I would have appreciated a bit more all round.

The positives definitely outweigh the negatives because generally I think this is a stunning novel, especially regarding what it has to say about being a Black man in the UK. I just wanted more! More depth, more time with the characters and more of the great writing.

A beautifully tender and evocative debut exploring love, racism and masculinity in contemporary South East London. The story follows a photographer and a dancer who begin as friends and evolve into something more. Their love has a vibrance that’s heart-warming to read, but also sadly laced with fear and insecurity. It provides an authentic and moving portrayal the Black British experience and of modern-day couples.

Caleb Azumah Nelson’s writing is full of soul. There’s a vulnerability to the way he has shaped the characters, despite the book being written is second person. Parts of Open Water feel more like poetry, with the author’s intentional use of emotion and sentiment. It’s clear he is from South East London too; the references feel relevant and help to build the book’s atmosphere without feeling gimmicky.

Racism, microaggressions, and brutality play a major role in the development of the characters. The trauma such injustices create is evident in their expressions, you can almost feel the weight of their exhaustion. Its harshness is heart-breaking, but I do like the rawness to something that is so very real. Still, Open Water has an air of hope that only adds to its compelling power.

Although it is only 145 pages, this book does not feel short. No word is wasted, but no chapters is rushed. Caleb Azumah Nelson’s writing is art-like, perfectly crafted, and more relevant than ever.

Don’t wonder whether to pick this one up, just do it.

I was lucky enough to have an early copy of both audio and hard copy of this book for review.
This book has been getting so much hype, and has been stated as 'one to watch' for 2021. I was super excited to listen to the audiobook and read the hard copy of what is set to be 2021's huge hits. I had high hopes!!

However, I just couldn't get into this. The narrator of the audio book was incredibly monotone and boring to listen to so I found myself reading the hard copy a lot more. (although I did dip-in-and-out while doing housework etc.)
I love the imagery within the book, I love that it's set in London and I could picture every location at every moment. However I just couldn't connect to the characters. I enjoyed the writing style, but there just wasn't enough plot for me. Or enough connection to the two central characters.
It was an 'ok' book - but just didn't get the 'feels' that I wanted or expected.

A lovely lyrical novella about romance, masculinity and Blackness in London. Somehow second person prose really works in this story and manages to invoke an intimacy with the protagonist and the love story that unfolds. I think it loses its way a little in the third quarter or so but the development of the relationship and also the ending really work - I felt invested in the intimacy the characters develop. The beginning in particular I personally loved because I love London and miss dating very much. The exploration of masculinity and vulnerability in the context of relationships is always a worthy subject and it was done beautifully here, with lots of introspective prose on family, love and racism. I loved the way music, art and books were discussed throughout too.
My only criticisms would be that the sparse dialogue between the two main characters felt a little indistinguishable at times and it occasionally is a little unpolished - the end of the relationship is quite abrupt - but a wonderful short debut and I will definitely keep an eye on what this author does in the future!

Thanks so much to Viking for allowing me to read Open Water in advance. This is a much-hyped book, and I was really looking forward to reading this love story between two Black artists in London. The observations were often astute and there were some moments I really appreciated, but on the whole I never quite gelled with Caleb Azumah Nelson's writing. This was entirely an issue of personal taste - I'm never a fan of deliberately abstract writing, and I often felt distanced from the narrative in a way that I didn't really enjoy. But this is a book that has received much love and praise, so I'd definitely recommend reading it if the blurb piqued your interest.

Beautifully written, a poem even.
I did struggle a bit with following the timeline, at times.

It narrates the love story of two Black British artists, who are first best friends and then can no longer contain their feelings. It also narrates in details about the struggle of being Black in this society, highlighting fears and worries.

Two young, black, British artists living in South London meet through a friend at a pub. Gradually, and inevitably, they fall in love.

Written in second person, this is a beautifully written debut that gives an insight into race, love, intimacy and vulnerability.

This is a short read, but there's so much packed in here. A heartbreaking look at the experiences of being a young black man in Britain today, but also a tender love story. I've never read a book written in second person before, and it took me a while to get used to it, especially because the main characters are unnamed, but I think that made it all the more intimate. There were parts that I wish had been stretched out a little more - it was maybe too short for me - but definitely worth a read.

I loved this book. The second person narrative is lyrical and moving and I found it flowed well an was easy to read. It's an emotional story and well worth the time it takest o read it. With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this debut novel.

Many Thanks to the author and Netgalley for allowing me to read this book before being published in exchange for an honest review.

I really didn´t enjoy the way this book is written. 2nd or 3rd person. Quite a few times I had to go back to the beginning of the chapter to understand who he/she was talking about. It is a romance story but it didn´t add up anything for me. It wasn´t funny, it didn´t have any mystery, any intrigues, anything really.
It is about a friendship that it develops into a love story and that´s it. Too simple for me.

The writing style didn´t help me to understand the book either.
It's written in the second person narrative which I personally found very confusing. I didn't entirely understand what its purpose was.

It took me a few days too long to finish the book.