[1/9/24]
Oh my god. This was so beautiful. Hold please as I gather my thoughts and wipe away the tears. But yeah, highly recommend the audiobook, Caleb reads his lyrical prose the way it’s meant to be heard 😭 

[1/11/24]
I saw a 0 star review for this book that said "I find the writing too poetic and descriptive" and y'all...this is why we need negative reviews. Because I saw that and went "Ah, sounds perfect!" 

Small Worlds is indeed full of poetic prose and descriptive scenes, drawing us close to the multitudes of normal life and how they can layer to make our whole world. It is a character-driven, coming-of-age story that beautifully captures the power of music, the importance of good food and community, and these little moments of love that can help us weather the cruelties of life. 

Something I noticed throughout is the repetition of certain phrases that call back to each other in different sections. As I noticed where and when it was used, I had a dawning realization that these felt like lyrics building up a song. It really made me feel in awe of Caleb's writing style, because the central theme in this book is music! These lyrical, repetitious phrases are woven in across different time frames, even crossing generations, building into a gentle crescendo that washes over you in the last few chapters. That final line exchanged between father and son had me suddenly tearing up. It was beautiful. 

Small Worlds is an artful rendition of a Black British man's experience growing up second generation Ghanian. Filled with vignette-like passages that capture a life full of love, pain, loss, reconnection, and growth that fill three summers in this coming-of-age novel, it's a 5 star read for me. 

This is my first book by Caleb but you can bet I requested Open Water immediately after finishing this.0 I think I've found a new favorite author!