The synopsis of this book drew me in and I thought it sounded like an interesting read. Thank you to @PenguinUKBooks and @CalebANelson for this advanced audio copy of Open Water in return for an honest review. Open Water is due to be published on 4th February 2021 and you can get a copy here.

Description 🔖

Two Black British people meet in South East London and find they have a lot in common. Both attended private school on scholarships, both are artists and both are trying to make it in their worlds. The two slowly fall in love and try to feel their way through their lives together. Except not every couple can make it and as they struggle through working out what it means to be themselves in a world that sees them as something else, they are ultimately torn apart.

General Thoughts 🤔

I have to admit that I did not find this an easy book to read. The subject matter is real, beautiful and ugly all at the same time, but I just couldn’t seem to connect with it. I have some thoughts on why that may be (and I think a lot of it is to do with me, not the book) but I’ll discuss that later on in this review.

Characters 👫👬👭

There were two main characters in the book; both of which remain nameless. The way that their relationship started, grew and developed was really quite beautiful and felt very tender. What started as a friendship turned into something precious.

The main character in the book was like many people I know in life and it was a tug on my heart to have that played back to me. He started off as open and vulnerable with his girlfriend but as he started to struggle with living as a black man in a society that saw him as only that, his walls went up.

Writing Style ✍️

Ok, so this is where I think I struggled, for two different reasons. The first being the writing in second person. I found it really difficult to follow and often had to pause for a few seconds to reset and remember what was going on in the story at that time. I know a lot of people enjoy this kind of writing but unfortunately for me it felt impersonal.

Secondly, the narration. Now this is a funny one. The writing is very lyrical and reads like poetry. I think that if I was to watch this as physical performance I’d have connected with it a lot more but listening to the audio, I couldn’t keep my concentration in the right place. I think that this can be personal preference and therefore would probably place the disconnection on me rather than on the book or the narration.

Conclusion & Scoring 🏅

Although this audio book and I did not get along like a house on fire, there is a lot I appreciate about this book. The prose is stunning and appropriate for the story and subject. I’d like to try reading this book (as in with my eyes not my ears) and I would love to see this performed. Caleb Azumah Nelson is obviously a very talented writer and I hope that his work gets the recognition that it deserves. Maybe Open Water and I can try again in a different format.

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<p><em>Open Water </em>is the debut novel by Caleb Azumah Nelson and tells the story of a young man struggling to accept love in a world that has so often shown him hate through the frame of a slow burning relationship with his best friend.</p>
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<p>I normally avoid literary fiction, I prefer my escapism super commercial and fast paced, but I do enjoy indulging now and again in novels that reimagine the narrative voice. <em>Open Water </em>is written entirely in the second person, a perspective rarely seen in literature and tricky to get right. I love second person narratives. Firstly because it challenges the traditional novel structure and secondly because it translates so effortlessly into audio. Listening to a second person narrative is akin to being submerged fully into another's world view, and creates a level of immersion you can't experience in print.</p>
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<p>Nelson's writing is etched in a poetic sadness allowing you to sample the the burdens his protagonist carries every time he leaves his home. Having anxiety myself (albeit with very different roots and experience) it was refreshing to see some of the things that I struggle with reflected in the story. The feeling of being unsafe in the world, made more difficult by the reality that black men are often not safe in the UK, the past trauma that can be triggered at any time and the devastating mindset that additional trauma can compound. All balanced with the beautiful soul connection found in the girl at the party. A connection built on the kind of understanding you can only experience with those you have known in past lives. Their growing relationship, the safety he feels with her, provides reprise from the daily burdens of mental health and systemic racism, providing a ray of hope that our protagonist will find himself on solid ground once more.</p>
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<p>With such a lyrical way of writing having Nelson himself narrate is fitting for the audiobook creating a delicious blurring of fact and fiction. Nelson's performance is soft and deliberately understated. It demands your attention by drawing you close and making you listen to every word carefully. This adds to the immersive experience, encouraging you to sit and be present (rather than also doing chores as I often do when listening to audio). His delivery forms a gentle lull and found myself on occasion drifting into it's serenity, getting lost in the essence of the story itself.</p>
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<p>I'm intrigued to see what Nelson does next in his writing career and look forward to more of his work. <em>Open Water </em>is a stunning debut and hints at a rich body of work to come. </p>
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Stunning, beautiful, modern. A truly authentic insight into the Black British experience in London that simply blew me away. I have never read, or listened, to a story that manages to convey the nuances of love so perfectly and powerfully.  The juxtaposition of power and vulnerability is sublime as is the prose. This is a raw, heartfelt work of art and I cannot wait to read more from the author.

Open Water is a beautifully told story of love and friendship written in second person which adds a level of intimacy to the narrative. The book begins as the two meet and then follows the growing friendship and relationship between them, Open Water is slow paced and this works perfectly for the storyline.

Nelson does not shy away from the brutal honesty and pain that love sometimes brings but also highlights the delights and joys that can be found. I enjoyed reading a book about love that is told from the male perspective, this is something I have not experienced before and found fascinating.

If you struggle reading second person narratives I would highly recommend the audiobook, it is narrated by the author and adds a level of truth to the characters.

“Your eyes meet in the silence. The gaze requires no words at all. It is an honest meeting.”


Open Water is an exceedingly lyrical debut. The story, narrated through a second-person perspective (ie 'you') is centred on the relationship between two Black British artists (he is a photographer, she is a dancer). Although their relationship is portrayed through a linear timeline, the narrative lingers only on some key scenes/periods between this will-they-won't-they couple. From their first meeting the photographer ('you') is struck by the dancer who at time is going out with a friend of his. The two become friends but their closeness is complicated by their more than platonic feeling for each other.
Caleb Azumah Nelson renders with poignancy their bond. I loved the way he articulates his main character's vulnerabilities and the role that language itself plays in his narrative. To articulate one's feelings, desires, and fears is no easy feat. Language, as the author reminds us time and again, fails us. There is an emphasis on this, that is on the difficulty of articulating your thoughts or truths. 'You' seems in a perpetual struggle with himself. He's in love with the dancer but there are things that keep him from expressing himself to her. The narrative also touches upon on the idea of being 'seen but not seen'. The photographer, a young Black man in London, has experienced time and again the scrutiny of the white gaze. It is because he is viewed as a danger and a threat that he remains in fact unseen. So, when the dancer sees him, as in truly sees him, he feels understood like never before. But it is this bond that complicates their love story.

At times the story resembled a series of snapshots or impressions: these had a moody often cinematic-feel to them that resulted in some great atmosphere (I can definitely see this being adapted to the screen). Nelson's prose brims with lyricism. With staccato-like sentences he captures those ephemeral feelings which are often so hard to express or pin down. His poetic writing style lends beautifully to the themes he goes on to explore (young love, masculinity and vulnerability, race, creativity).
What didn't quite work for me was the 2nd pov. I'm just not the biggest fan of this perspective. I also had a hard time familiarising myself with our main characters. Their personalities felt almost lost in the midst of the author's lyrical language.
Open Water nonetheless struck me as a confident and deeply felt debut.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to netgally.co.uk for providing me with a free copy of the audiobook in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This book was kind of an odd one for me, but in a good way. I didn’t feel like I was getting invested in the story. I didn’t think there was much there in terms of story telling however it was the narrator that kept me hooked to the book, the narrator sounded so much like Benedict Cumberbatch to me, I was shocked to find out that the narrator was indeed the author. However the second hand narrative that ran throughout the novel made the narrator sound so detached from the whole thing. However, this book does get three stars from because I thought it was well written, the prose was almost lyrical.

I was kindly provided a free version of the audiobook from the publisher through netgalley.

3.5 stars rounded up to a 4. 

I want to start by saying I don't think the audiobook is the way to go with this one. This story is beautifully and lyrically written. I had to pause a lot to just sit with what had just been said. The story is not strictly linear and has a lot to say which means the audiobook is a little hard to follow. I want to reread this with my eyes when it comes out and I think it may result in an upped rating. And many highlights!

That said, gosh I thought this book was incredible. The way it's written is so lyrical and flowing, it's pure poetry really. There was so much to think about. This book clearly has messages that come through powerfully. Every choice the author has made feels meaningful. The book is written in second person. The main characters don't have names. Certain phrases are repeated over and over. There isn't a ton of actual dialogue. I could write an essay on what I think it all means.

The plot, such as it is, is driven by the romance. But really it's about our main pov character. About his family and experience in being black and falling in love. It's very introspective. And very character driven. It's also slow and thoughtful, really packing a punch in this short page count.

While I got a lot of the story the way it's written wasn't one hundred percent for me which is why it's not 5 stars. However I can easily see this being a new favourite for a lot of people.

Very enjoyable, written at a beautiful pace the story unfolds wonderfully. Fantastic characters. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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.