BOOK REVIEW: OPEN WATER

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OPEN WATER BY CALEB AZUMAH NELSON.

‘𝒀𝒐𝒖 π’•π’‰π’Šπ’π’Œ 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 π’‰π’π’π’…π’Šπ’π’ˆ 𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒐 π’•π’‰π’Šπ’” π’‡π’†π’†π’π’Šπ’π’ˆ 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒔𝒐 π’π’π’π’ˆ, π’‰π’π’π’…π’Šπ’π’ˆ π’Šπ’• π’…π’π’˜π’, π’‰π’π’π’…π’Šπ’π’ˆ π’Šπ’• π’Šπ’, 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 π’”π’π’Žπ’†π’•π’Šπ’Žπ’†π’” π’Šπ’•’𝒔 π’†π’‚π’”π’Šπ’†π’“ 𝒕𝒐 π’‰π’Šπ’…π’† π’Šπ’ π’šπ’π’–π’“ π’π’˜π’ π’…π’‚π’“π’Œπ’π’†π’”π’” 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒕𝒐 π’†π’Žπ’†π’“π’ˆπ’†, π’π’‚π’Œπ’†π’… 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒗𝒖𝒍𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆, π’ƒπ’π’Šπ’π’Œπ’Šπ’π’ˆ π’Šπ’ π’šπ’π’–π’“ π’π’˜π’ π’π’Šπ’ˆπ’‰π’•.’

THE STORY:

Open Water is an intense and honest love story between a photographer and a dancer. Both characters, Black British, won scholarships to go to private high schools where they struggled to fit in. When they meet, years after, their connection is instant, and slowly but surely, we see them build a strong friendship and falling in love.

THE REVIEW:

I had been waiting for months to read this brilliant book, and the wait was definitely worth it. Caleb Azumah Nelson and his mesmerising writing take us on a journey about intimacy, anxiety, trauma, masculinity, race and what it means to be truly seen by someone. The way that Nelson explores themes like intimacy, masculinity, and trauma was truly vivid and quite distressing at times. As someone who (recently has realised) reads mostly books by female writers, I found the portraying of masculinity in this book absolutely glorious and enlightening. Similarly, not many stories or writers are capable of transmitting intimacy and vulnerability the way that Nelson does through his unnamed characters β€” a detail that makes them feel even closer to you as if you had known them your entire life. This, and the use of the second person throughout the book, creates such a deep and personal atmosphere you may end up thinking you are right there with them.

The evolution of the characters’ relationship unravels in such a delicate, teasing and slow-paced rhythm you are almost not aware of the transformation in their relationship, especially the effect that the main character’s trauma has on it. It is not often that you read a book that deals with trauma this way; bringing it up and letting it go so quickly you are not really aware of the effect it’s playing until it’s too late.

Open Water is poetic and raw, delicate and powerful, intense and intricate. It has the power to make you whole and to tear you down at the same time.

FEELINGS AFTER READING IT?

I finished this book over two weeks ago, and whenever I think about it I come up with new thoughts about it; there are so many layers and themes to explore in Open Water. But what I know for now is that it’s one of the deepest, and most personal written works I have ever had the pleasure to read.

‘𝑰𝒕’𝒔 𝒐𝒏𝒆 π’•π’‰π’Šπ’π’ˆ 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 π’π’π’π’Œπ’†π’… 𝒂𝒕, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒏.’

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