Open Water

This is an incredibly promising debut novel. I think if you love Sally Rooney's Normal People and compelling literary fiction, you will really enjoy this story. This story follows two young black artists, living in London and Dublin and documents the span of their relationship.

This book is understated and poetic and subtle. The language within this novel is stunning. While this book focuses on an intimate relationship between a man and a woman, this story is also a love letter to the black community. I loved the black cultural references of James Baldwin, Zadie Smith and Dizzee Rascal and how the author embeds these references into the character's very sense of self.

This book is especially poignant and powerful in this cultural moment with the Black Lives Matter movement in the UK and the US and the way this novel tackles the issue of police brutality was so raw and heartfelt. This story while slow in pace was constructed with care and deliberation and written with a great deal of talent. It is hard to clearly articulate this novel as it doesn't have a tangible plot but you can get lost in this world constructed by the words and the emotions evoked from the language.

If you are a reader who loves taking a deep dive into character's intimate relationships or you were really invested in Connell and Marianne's relationship in Normal People you must read this book!!

Thanks to the author Caleb Azumah Nelson, Penguin UK and Netgalley for a review copy in exchange for an honest review.