A review by destdest
Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson

emotional slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

 "You ache. You ache all over. You are aching to be you, but you're scared of what it means to do so."

The writing was fine and tended to repeat like a song chorus; music was a constant undercurrent. It felt very intimate. There was some nice quotables of the throes of new love. I liked the initial giddiness, but I never connected to the characters' relationship. 

"You know that to love is both to swim and to drown. You know to love is to be a whole, partial, a joint, a fracture, a heart, a bone. It is to bleed and heal. It is to be in the world, honest."

The characters and situations are messy, but perfect characters are often boring. I don't think my issue was that it was a slow burn. But I lost interest around 60 pages in, as the pacing just seemed to go in a circle: 

Friends that don't want to break the status quo but know they're feeling something between them. Girl is forward. Guy (you) reciprocates heavily. Girl gets skittish. Guy is left to withdraw but goes back when in need of emotional support. Friends reconnect. Feelings still hang heavy. Their connection was repetitive in the worst way. Either do something or keep it on the playground.
I'm not mad that they broke up for a spell. He (you) needed to see a therapist at some point. your partner should be supportive always, but at some point, you also have to help yourself.


While the 2nd-person pov is unique, this story would work best as a movie or short film. The male lead (you) is emotional and emotionally repressed at the same time and has big feelings about love, grief, police brutality, Blackness (male-centered), and love. (You're) he's a creative at heart and tries to find the words and ways to express himself.

2 stars