Open Water: Winner of the Costa First Novel Award 2021
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- Create Date：2022-01-08 00:51:56
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Caleb Azumah Nelson
- ISBN：0241448786
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Summary
WINNER OF THE COSTA FIRST NOVEL AWARD 2021
'A tender and touching love story， beautifully told' Observer 10 Best Debut Novelists of 2021
'Hands-down the best debut I've read in years' The Times
'A beautiful and powerful novel about the true and sometimes painful depths of love' Candice Carty-Williams， bestselling author of QUEENIE
'An unforgettable debut。。。 it's Sally Rooney meets Michaela Coel meets Teju Cole' New York Times
'A love song to Black art and thought' Yaa Gyasi， bestselling author of HOMEGOING and TRANSCENDENT KINGDOM
Two young people meet at a pub in South East London。 Both are Black British， both won scholarships to private schools where they struggled to belong， both are now artists - he a photographer， she a dancer - trying to make their mark in a city that by turns celebrates and rejects them。 Tentatively， tenderly， they fall in love。 But two people who seem destined to be together can still be torn apart by fear and violence。
At once an achingly beautiful love story and a potent insight into race and masculinity， Open Water asks what it means to be a person in a world that sees you only as a Black body， to be vulnerable when you are only respected for strength， to find safety in love， only to lose it。 With gorgeous， soulful intensity， Caleb Azumah Nelson has written the most essential British debut of recent years。
'An amazing debut novel。 You should read this book。 Let's hear it for Caleb Azumah Nelson， also known as the future' Benjamin Zephaniah
'A short， poetic and intellectual meditation on art and a relationship between a young couple' Bernardine Evaristo， author of GIRL， WOMAN， OTHER
'A very touching and heartfelt book' Diana Evans， award-winning author of ORDINARY PEOPLE
'A lyrical modern love story， brilliant on music and art， race and London life， I enjoyed it hugely' David Nicholls， author of ONE DAY and SWEET SORROW
'Caleb is a star in the making' Nikesh Shukla， editor of THE GOOD IMMIGRANT and BROWN BABY
'A stunning piece of art' Bolu Babalola， bestselling author of LOVE IN COLOUR
'For those that are missing the tentative depiction of love in Normal People， Caleb Azumah Nelson's Open Water is set to become one of 2021's unmissable books。 Utterly transporting， it'll leave you weeping and in awe。' Stylist
'An exhilarating new voice in British fiction' Vogue
'A poetic novel about Black identity and first love in the capital from one of Britain's most exciting young voices' Harper's Bazaar
'An intense， elegant debut' Guardian
WINNER OF THE BAD FORM BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD
SHORTLISTED FOR WATERSTONES BOOK OF THE YEAR
LONGLISTED FOR THE DESMOND ELLIOTT PRIZE AND THE GORDON BURN PRIZE 2021
A NATIONAL BOOK AWARD '5 UNDER 35' HONOREE
'A tender and touching love story， beautifully told' Observer 10 Best Debut Novelists of 2021
'Hands-down the best debut I've read in years' The Times
'A beautiful and powerful novel about the true and sometimes painful depths of love' Candice Carty-Williams， bestselling author of QUEENIE
'An unforgettable debut。。。 it's Sally Rooney meets Michaela Coel meets Teju Cole' New York Times
'A love song to Black art and thought' Yaa Gyasi， bestselling author of HOMEGOING and TRANSCENDENT KINGDOM
Two young people meet at a pub in South East London。 Both are Black British， both won scholarships to private schools where they struggled to belong， both are now artists - he a photographer， she a dancer - trying to make their mark in a city that by turns celebrates and rejects them。 Tentatively， tenderly， they fall in love。 But two people who seem destined to be together can still be torn apart by fear and violence。
At once an achingly beautiful love story and a potent insight into race and masculinity， Open Water asks what it means to be a person in a world that sees you only as a Black body， to be vulnerable when you are only respected for strength， to find safety in love， only to lose it。 With gorgeous， soulful intensity， Caleb Azumah Nelson has written the most essential British debut of recent years。
'An amazing debut novel。 You should read this book。 Let's hear it for Caleb Azumah Nelson， also known as the future' Benjamin Zephaniah
'A short， poetic and intellectual meditation on art and a relationship between a young couple' Bernardine Evaristo， author of GIRL， WOMAN， OTHER
'A very touching and heartfelt book' Diana Evans， award-winning author of ORDINARY PEOPLE
'A lyrical modern love story， brilliant on music and art， race and London life， I enjoyed it hugely' David Nicholls， author of ONE DAY and SWEET SORROW
'Caleb is a star in the making' Nikesh Shukla， editor of THE GOOD IMMIGRANT and BROWN BABY
'A stunning piece of art' Bolu Babalola， bestselling author of LOVE IN COLOUR
'For those that are missing the tentative depiction of love in Normal People， Caleb Azumah Nelson's Open Water is set to become one of 2021's unmissable books。 Utterly transporting， it'll leave you weeping and in awe。' Stylist
'An exhilarating new voice in British fiction' Vogue
'A poetic novel about Black identity and first love in the capital from one of Britain's most exciting young voices' Harper's Bazaar
'An intense， elegant debut' Guardian
WINNER OF THE BAD FORM BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD
SHORTLISTED FOR WATERSTONES BOOK OF THE YEAR
LONGLISTED FOR THE DESMOND ELLIOTT PRIZE AND THE GORDON BURN PRIZE 2021
A NATIONAL BOOK AWARD '5 UNDER 35' HONOREE
Reviews
Susanna Chesser
，
I listened to it on audible and the poetic nature of it was so beautiful to listen to。 The impact of the story is beautiful and well written。 However， not unlike the reality of the concepts he touches on， it left me feeling extremely sad。
Winta
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MASTERPIECE
Avery Zimmerman
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Obvious talent from Nelson with insightful observations of contemporary life， but was very distracted by the over written prose and the fancy metaphors that didn't make sense when you really thought them through。 Couldn't get in to the romance due to the lack of plot。 The second person writing wasn't done well enough to not be confusing。 If this was any longer of a book I'm sure I would have DNF'd。 Obvious talent from Nelson with insightful observations of contemporary life， but was very distracted by the over written prose and the fancy metaphors that didn't make sense when you really thought them through。 Couldn't get in to the romance due to the lack of plot。 The second person writing wasn't done well enough to not be confusing。 If this was any longer of a book I'm sure I would have DNF'd。 。。。more
Ananya
，
Very very intense despite being incredibly short。 It’s honest， painfully so， and blunt in the descriptions while still maintaining a sense of isolation。 Second person perspective is interesting and sometimes fees forced but In this case it feels more natural and apt。 It really does feel like poetry
Andreasbookmark
，
The shortest most beautifully poetic book I’ve read。 If I’m being honest I don’t often read short books。 I’m not sure why， just happens to be that the books I choose to read are over 300 pages。 This 145 page book is full of sentences that string you along and crack your heart wide open。 Such an honest emotional provoking novel that intertwines powerful topics together through a unnamed protagonist。 The ever blooming relationship between two black adults in the midst of a whirlwind world is broug The shortest most beautifully poetic book I’ve read。 If I’m being honest I don’t often read short books。 I’m not sure why， just happens to be that the books I choose to read are over 300 pages。 This 145 page book is full of sentences that string you along and crack your heart wide open。 Such an honest emotional provoking novel that intertwines powerful topics together through a unnamed protagonist。 The ever blooming relationship between two black adults in the midst of a whirlwind world is brought to us through Nelsons incredible direct lyrical language。 The approach to tackle under-represented topics along with a complex love story is Nelsons way of pushing us to the edge of our emotions in under 200 pages。 In a way I also saw this as a book that focuses on an individuals open letter to themselves。 In another way it could be seen as a direct dialogue to the reader， both formats create these heart wrenching moments as we wait to see what comes next， being pulled in through every sentence。 The discussions of fear and being seen created a layered story。 Each page I wanted to turn faster and faster to hear the protagonists inner speech， to try to empathise with them。 Also well being drawn in to this very relatable， deep love between two people， two friends。 I will definitely be keeping this on my shelf and reading it again some day。 A little book full of magical writing， and it’s a debut。 。。。more
Lynn Brown
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Written in second person narration the writing is just beautiful， even if some of the events aren't。 So many artists named and it's expanded my knowledge for the better。 Written in second person narration the writing is just beautiful， even if some of the events aren't。 So many artists named and it's expanded my knowledge for the better。 。。。more
Roberta Matshalaga
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This book is highly rated and so I was so excited to read it。 But I just couldn’t get used to the writing still。 It felt distant and very difficult to differentiate the characters reality from their imagination。 Maybe I’m just a bad reader though
Ophelia
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You while away the evening together， doing nothing really， which is something， is an intimacy in itself。 To not fill your time with someone is to trust， and to trust is to love。 And so you should say you spent the evening loving each other， on her sofa， eating， drinking， listening to music。This book is a wonder。 It flows like a beautiful song， surprising and melancholy， flush with romance and grief and anger。 I love 2nd person narrative and it works so well here。 The POV is so voicey and specifi You while away the evening together， doing nothing really， which is something， is an intimacy in itself。 To not fill your time with someone is to trust， and to trust is to love。 And so you should say you spent the evening loving each other， on her sofa， eating， drinking， listening to music。This book is a wonder。 It flows like a beautiful song， surprising and melancholy， flush with romance and grief and anger。 I love 2nd person narrative and it works so well here。 The POV is so voicey and specific， I'm glad of the length。 It feels very carefully thought out and felt。 Any longer， I think it could've easily lost itself。 The characters felt so fully-realised and tangible。 I really wanted them to be happy and ok and held。One of my favourite things was the constant inclusion of music and art。 When Hanif Abdurraqib's name came up？ Gasped。 It felt realistic how the characters related to each other and the world through art。 Caleb Azumah Nelson is a star。 。。。more
Melanie Moore
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Caleb Azumah Nelson's debut novella is spellbinding。 He's wrapped so much into this 145 page book。 It's poetically written and touches on topics of race， grief， fear and love。 And it has a Spotify playlist！ Caleb Azumah Nelson's debut novella is spellbinding。 He's wrapped so much into this 145 page book。 It's poetically written and touches on topics of race， grief， fear and love。 And it has a Spotify playlist！ 。。。more
Rachel
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An absolutely beautiful debut novel which felt like I was listening to a Frank Ocean album the whole time。 The vibes were immaculate。 4。5 ⭐️This story deals with love， grief， race， vulnerability and many more themes。 I found it very poetic and there were so many lines I was obsessed with。 （sharing some of them below） Since I’m also a photographer this story felt very close to me especially because it was written in second person so it fees like it’s all happening to you， the reader。 Some of my f An absolutely beautiful debut novel which felt like I was listening to a Frank Ocean album the whole time。 The vibes were immaculate。 4。5 ⭐️This story deals with love， grief， race， vulnerability and many more themes。 I found it very poetic and there were so many lines I was obsessed with。 （sharing some of them below） Since I’m also a photographer this story felt very close to me especially because it was written in second person so it fees like it’s all happening to you， the reader。 Some of my favorite lines:“To trust is to love and she trusts you”“The beauty of shooting film is the unexpected”“It is one thing to be looked at and another to be seen”“Which came first， the violence or the pain？” 。。。more
Jo
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SENow that this book has won the Costa the library wait is even longer so I listened to the audible narrated by the author。 I was lucky enough to attend a zoom bookshop meeting with Caleb when it was published and he came over well。 I’ve read some bad audible reviews but I enjoyed listening to his soft South London voice。 As an elderly white woman I know I am not the target audience， however I was moved and affected by his POV and reminded of Normal People at times。 In spite of living in London SENow that this book has won the Costa the library wait is even longer so I listened to the audible narrated by the author。 I was lucky enough to attend a zoom bookshop meeting with Caleb when it was published and he came over well。 I’ve read some bad audible reviews but I enjoyed listening to his soft South London voice。 As an elderly white woman I know I am not the target audience， however I was moved and affected by his POV and reminded of Normal People at times。 In spite of living in London for many years the racism still shocked me。 I found the love story both romantic and touching。 The second person narrative works well but I can see how some people find it pretentious。 I look forward to reading the book and thinking further on it。 。。。more
lau
，
“you feel you have never been strangers。 you do not want to leave each other， because to leave is to have the thing die in its current form and there is something， something in this that neither is willing to relinquish。”you know when you listen to a piece of classical music and it makes you cry， not necessarily because it’s sad， but because it’s so beautiful？ that’s how i feel about this book。 open water shows the hardships of loving in a broken world。 that just because you’re soulmates， doesn’ “you feel you have never been strangers。 you do not want to leave each other， because to leave is to have the thing die in its current form and there is something， something in this that neither is willing to relinquish。”you know when you listen to a piece of classical music and it makes you cry， not necessarily because it’s sad， but because it’s so beautiful？ that’s how i feel about this book。 open water shows the hardships of loving in a broken world。 that just because you’re soulmates， doesn’t mean you’ll end up together。 that sometimes to love is to let go。 it shows a side of masculinity that is so vulnerable and beautiful。 this book made me feel every emotion at once and i can’t wait to come back to it many more times。 go read it， you won’t regret it。 。。。more
Gaenor Bagley
，
What a wonderful book。 Open Water is a well deserved winner of the Costa first novel award， however， it had far more depth and confidence in its message than a typical first novel。 It tells the story of how two young black people in London meet， fall in love and build a relationship together。 The story is narrated by the boy， a photographer and tentative writer。 She is a dancer， studying in Dublin。 The story of how they meet and how the relationship develops， what he notices about her， what he f What a wonderful book。 Open Water is a well deserved winner of the Costa first novel award， however， it had far more depth and confidence in its message than a typical first novel。 It tells the story of how two young black people in London meet， fall in love and build a relationship together。 The story is narrated by the boy， a photographer and tentative writer。 She is a dancer， studying in Dublin。 The story of how they meet and how the relationship develops， what he notices about her， what he feels， his fears about committing are tenderly and movingly evoked。 Your smile a grand piano， the glint in her eye like the twinkle of hands caressing ivory keys。 The rhythmic strum of a double bass the inert grace she has been blessed with， moving her body in ways which astound。 A pair of soloists in conversations so harmonious， one struggles to separate。 You are not the musicians but the music。 His fear of committing comes from his treatment by society， both as one of a handful of blacks on a scholarship to a private school in London， and his treatment， and those of other blacks by London police。 That anger which is the result of things unspoken from now and then， of unresolved grief， large and small， of others assuming that he， beautiful Black person in gorgeous Black body， was born violent and dangerous; this assumption， impossible to hide， manifesting in every word and glance and action， and every word and glance and action ingested and internalized， and it’s unfair and unjust， this sort of death – being asked to live so constrained is a death of sorts The language repeats the theme of being seen （linking neatly to the photography theme）， and the need for black people to apologise and to suppress their feelings。 To be you is to apologize and often that apology comes in the form of suppression and that suppression is indiscriminate。 Heading for open water is used as a metaphor for bravely heading out into the unknown and revealing his true feelings。 The story develops against a back drop of the music， bars and music of London and I enjoyed this aspect as well。 The narrator is influenced by Sadie Smith， and I suspect the author was as well。A beautiful， poetic love story with a tough message that made me think。 。。。more
Shima
，
Read this for:-Poetic prose-Young， Black， Londoners falling in love。 -References to Black art， literature and music。 -The impact of institutionalised racism on daily life。 You might not like this if you don't like:-Second-person narration。 -Slow pacing。 -The "perfect-connection" type of love。 -Lyrical prose sacrificing clarity （at times）。 Read this for:-Poetic prose-Young， Black， Londoners falling in love。 -References to Black art， literature and music。 -The impact of institutionalised racism on daily life。 You might not like this if you don't like:-Second-person narration。 -Slow pacing。 -The "perfect-connection" type of love。 -Lyrical prose sacrificing clarity （at times）。 。。。more
Pequita
，
I tethered between 3 and 4 stars for this book - ideally I’d give it 3。5。 I loved the prose and the many references to art and music。 And while the love story was intriguing I felt I never really got to know the characters and their histories that led to their instant attraction。 For me the narrators breakdown and interpretation of his fears and his inability to articulate them was far more interesting and real than the couples story。
Jewel
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3。5 stars。This is a very quick read and I read it all in one sitting。 （It's a novella。） Nelson is an amazing writer， but I knocked off some stars for the second person narration。 I'm just not a fan。 Maybe I don't have a good enough imagination。 When I read "You lost your grandma during the summer you were sure you could lose no more" my brain said "no I didn't。"Also， I don't know if this is a huge compliment to Nelson or an insult to me， but this book is way too itellectual for me。 I have a grad 3。5 stars。This is a very quick read and I read it all in one sitting。 （It's a novella。） Nelson is an amazing writer， but I knocked off some stars for the second person narration。 I'm just not a fan。 Maybe I don't have a good enough imagination。 When I read "You lost your grandma during the summer you were sure you could lose no more" my brain said "no I didn't。"Also， I don't know if this is a huge compliment to Nelson or an insult to me， but this book is way too itellectual for me。 I have a graduate education， but this felt way above my paygrade。 It's basically a book of poetry。 One that requires a lot of thought。 A long poem about a love story。 But， it is beautiful and moving。 I can see myself checking out more Caleb Azumah Nelson to see what else he can write。 I hope his future work isn't in 2nd person， but that's on me。 。。。more
Camila Montalvo
，
Please take your time with this book。 Annotate it， absorb the words， reread them。 The writing is lyrical， poetic， and impactful。 I loved unpacking the metaphors and motifs throughout this book。 There were also so many beautiful quotes as well。 Nelson explored racism， masculinity， love， and police brutality， among other topics in such a poignant way。 This book was an unforgettable masterpiece。
hammd。
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god the writing
Rebecca Daun
，
Oh my gosh。 I loved this short， sad， gorgeous book。 Nelson's writing style is unlike anything I've ever read and captures the space between thoughts and words。 One of the most unique pieces I have read in a while。 Oh my gosh。 I loved this short， sad， gorgeous book。 Nelson's writing style is unlike anything I've ever read and captures the space between thoughts and words。 One of the most unique pieces I have read in a while。 。。。more
Omayeli Arenyeka
，
3。5 rounded up。 The writing is really pretty， very musical and pleasing to the ears。 Sometimes gets repetitive （in a way that I don’t feel serves a purpose） and sometimes fails but when he succeeds he really does。 Sometimes the writing loses me （lack of structured narrative） but the poetry of the words brings me back。 The woman in the story could be more developed， maybe the story would have benefitted from a dual perspective。 The words about love are beautiful， but not enough was written to sho 3。5 rounded up。 The writing is really pretty， very musical and pleasing to the ears。 Sometimes gets repetitive （in a way that I don’t feel serves a purpose） and sometimes fails but when he succeeds he really does。 Sometimes the writing loses me （lack of structured narrative） but the poetry of the words brings me back。 The woman in the story could be more developed， maybe the story would have benefitted from a dual perspective。 The words about love are beautiful， but not enough was written to show what makes the love so worthy to be written about so beautifully， or why the main character was so sprung。 Sometimes I get lost — it’s hard to determine what is happening， who it’s happening to， where we are etc 。。。more
Mahmoud Nasr
，
Heart-achingly beautiful。
Jefferey Spivey
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An abstract， poetic novel about love and Blackness。There's some beautiful language but it feels labored over， at the expense of a more considerable plot and better pacing。 I found the ongoing use of second person trying。 Still， I think Caleb Azumah Nelson is a promising writer， and I look forward to what he does next。 An abstract， poetic novel about love and Blackness。There's some beautiful language but it feels labored over， at the expense of a more considerable plot and better pacing。 I found the ongoing use of second person trying。 Still， I think Caleb Azumah Nelson is a promising writer， and I look forward to what he does next。 。。。more
Mariam Onafowokan
，
I absolutely love this book so much。 The way in which it was written was so poetic and gave room for imagination。 Loved it
Elise Cuyvers
，
“Ze is naar open water gezwommen en het duurt niet lang voordat je je bij haar voegt。”
butt
，
Beautiful and important writing。
Jonas
，
Just wow。 What a book to start 2022 with！
Sabela Paz
，
Me gusta su sencillez narrativa y el eje principal sobre el que se vertebra la historia: la vulnerabilidad como virtud y defecto。 "Aguas abiertas" es una historia honesta narrada con acierto。 El uso de la segunda persona， que baila entre el diario y el género epistolar， introduce un lenguaje fresco que nos recuerda nuestra posición de testigos directos。 Más allá de la historia de amor， también hay espacio para cuestiones de raza y de violencia en un contexto sociopolítico tan asfixiante como act Me gusta su sencillez narrativa y el eje principal sobre el que se vertebra la historia: la vulnerabilidad como virtud y defecto。 "Aguas abiertas" es una historia honesta narrada con acierto。 El uso de la segunda persona， que baila entre el diario y el género epistolar， introduce un lenguaje fresco que nos recuerda nuestra posición de testigos directos。 Más allá de la historia de amor， también hay espacio para cuestiones de raza y de violencia en un contexto sociopolítico tan asfixiante como actual。 。。。more
Isabel
，
Oh💔Zóveel mooie zinnen。Misschien eentje om te （her）lezen in het Engels。
Steph
，
Beautifully written
Dominic Ceja
，