Caleb Azumah Nelson’s writing feels like a glimpse into his personal diary. It emotes and meanders through pivotal moments in a characters life. In his debut Deep Water he wrote of his great love, where in Small Worlds, he writes about coming of age.

This book reads almost like a movie reel, and should be read quietly, slowly. There is this stunning glimpse of everyday family life, about leaving home and discovering yourself out side of that unit. There is also heartache, grief, music, love and what it means to have roots and legacy.

Much like Deep Water I loved how the male MC grapples with communicating his feelings, and when he does we see the beautiful tender rewards it reaps.

I will be adding Nelson to my auto-buy list, I look forward to the next personal journey he allows us to go on with him.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for the advanced readers copy all opinions are my own, this one doesn’t come out until this summer, look for it July 17, 2023.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for giving me the chance to read one of my most anticipated books of the year early. Filled with beautiful prose, this novel follows Stephen, a first generation Londoner to Ghanaian parents, chooses to upend the plans and future he and his family always assumed he would take to pursue a path that is less assured—music. This book poetically discusses the ideas of belonging, identity, and the places and people we call home, and I loved it just as much as Nelson’s first novel. Tears will be shed and fans of Open Water will not be disappointed

I am new to Caleb Azumah Nelson, and did not previously read his acclaimed first novel, but now will seek it out eagerly. Small Worlds is a beautifully quiet book — about nothing and about absolutely everything, about searching for one’s place in life, about finding it in music, in family, in love, about developing over the course of the novel the insight to understand that one’s place is more than a moment or a youthful university transition, but is rather a position along a continuum, how every action has a reaction and sometimes reactions take more than one generation to play out, how demanding space for self may lead one to an understanding of how the passions and simple ordinariness, along with the sacrifice, of our aging parents is irretrievably and poetically bred into a common outlook. The prose in this novel is exceptional, melodic, and the insights offered into both the mindset and driving forces of a musician and the experience, both lovely and brutally racist, of being a Ghanian second-gen immigrant in London are deeply affecting. An important novel. Highly recommended. (The veggie Jollof bowl I was inspired to track down at Black Star Grille in Portland after reading this novel brought it even more to delicious life.)

What I loved most about Caleb Azumah Nelson’s debut Open Water was the lyrical prose, and that’s exactly what I like about his sophomore book the most too.

When I wrote my review of Open Water, I said it was like listening to a song and feeling all kinds of emotions without hearing the words. And precisely the same happened to me while reading Small Worlds. Music is a significant theme in this story, and the words and sentences in Small Worlds dance together in a harmonious rhythm in highs and lows. I love this kind of writing, and I can completely drown in it, but to be honest, I need a little bit more to love a story fully. In this case, I found the pacing too slow, and too little happened on my journey through Stephen’s life while, at the same time, I gobbled up those beautiful sentences.

So, Caleb’s writing is definitely my kind of thing, but his stories a little less. You might feel different and adore this book!

I received an ARC from Grove Atlantic and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved Nelson’s debut Open Water so much, that I was both excited and nervous to read this advanced copy of ‘Small Worlds’, but I had no need to be nervous. As soon as I read the first line I let his beautiful prose lull me nicely into the story, the rhythm almost making it like music. It had that same lyrical structure of Open Water but giving me a completely different plot and new characters to adore. It swept me up into Stephen’s many small worlds and quite frankly I am sad to be out of them. Dealing with so many complex things, racism, relationships, family and identity, seamlessly. When is the next book out?

I had great expectations for Small Worlds because I immensely enjoyed Open Water. And Caleb did it again with this one. He didn't disappoint!!
If you have read Open Water, you will know that the author's writing is poetic. It's one thing I love about Caleb's writing. While reading, I got a little giddy each time I came across this string of words for no reason: "Since the one thing that can solve most of our problems is dancing…" While others might find this style repetitive, it's one thing I adore about Caleb's writing.
I was completely submerged in Stephen's world; it felt like I was right there with him through the growing pains, dealing with parental expectations, grief, and all the good times. I loved how Caleb wrote about music and the references he made! I took several pauses to look up the songs mentioned, giving me a better view of Stephen and the people he loved.
It was wholesome losing myself in Stephen's world. I loved every bit of it! Now, I can't wait to have a copy on my shelf.
Thank you, Grove Atlantic, for the ARC through NetGalley.

So many topics were discussed in this book. Music, racism, grief, police brutality, and depression just to name a few.

The author used music and art throughout the book and I think that helped me understand the feelings the characters were experiencing at different points in the story.

Overall this story was uplifting, enlightening, and beautifully written.

Caleb Azumah Nelson wrote about some very heavy topics like mental health and grief in such a beautiful and relatable way.

This is a book I would recommend to anyone.

Thank you Caleb Azumah Nelson, Grove Atlantic, and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I will read anything Caleb Azumah Nelson writes, honestly. He finds a way to make emotions feel so real to the reader. It’s pretty much given that you will become invested in the lives of all the characters you’re introduced to the story. I didn’t think Open Water could be topped, and it wasn’t really. But I think they’re equals in their writing. And that’s so rare in a story.

I also really love books that take a deep dive into the lives of family members. Assessing the things that hold them together, and the things that threaten to break them apart. We’re all flawed, and yet we still have to live our lives, love and be loved despite this. It’s a story about grief, finding yourself as you make your way into adulthood, loving those around you, and connecting to your roots. Love love love. Not much more I can say.

Caleb Azumah Nelson has done it again. If you liked Open Water you should definitely read this one. The prose is just as beautiful as in his first book.
We follow Stephen as he is graduating high school and how he starts navigating life, his fate, his relationships, and most importantly grief.
I implore everyone to read this because Calebs writing will blow your mind.

When I saw Caleb Azumah Nelson wrote another book, I immediately had to have my hands on it, and NetGalley came through for me. Thank you again NetGalley!

Small Worlds follows Stephen, after his graduation of high school, navigating a new phase of his life in the various worlds he occupies. Three summers filled with his family world, his friends/community, his music, his faith, and how he experiences the thrills of life, but also how his small worlds affect him.

As with Open Water, Caleb Azumah Nelson's writing is lyrical, poetic and consuming. His writing feels like tasting the scent your smelling, mouth-watering for more and also feeling so sated after finishing the book. I loved this one (mostly the story) more than I did Open Water, as I felt I resonated with the story so much more.

If you're one for literary fiction or stories about community, read this book!

CW: depression, death of a loved one, grief.

Could we expect anything less than perfect from the author who blew everyone away with Open Water? No, probably not.

Another immersive read that explores our protagonist Stephen as he comes of age in a time where police brutality is not easing, he is struggling with immense grief and navigating who he is and who he loves.

The musical element through Small Worlds was such a nice touch to an already expansive read. It really grounded us in time and place, and added another dimension to the characters. For such a short book, the tension and pace was excellent, the writing was lyrical and poetic and just god damn beautiful.

5 big beautiful bright stars!

This is a lyrical coming-of-age story steeped in familial and intergenerational trauma, brotherhood, music, racism, migration, marginalization, community, and intimacy.

“Grief never ends, but we find a way to walk in the light someone has left behind, rather than living in pain’s shadow.”

We follow the life of Stephen through a transitory phase of his life over three summers after graduating high school. Lost in his own small world, Stephen tries to build a world where he intends to protect himself, his community, and his music. The influence of music is evident in every word and phrase, producing immensely beautiful prose that flows and captures your heart.

“Our music is undeniable. I’ve only ever known myself in song, between notes, in that place where language won’t suffice but the drums might, might speak for us, might speak for what is on our hearts, and in this moment, as the music gathers pace, looping round once more, passing frenzy, approaching ecstasy, all my dance moves are my father’s.”

Caleb is particularly adept at illuminating the flow of intimacy, vulnerability, grief, and pain. However, I found myself sometimes distracted by the repetitive phrase, this has more to do with the fact that I thought there was going to be a lot of depth to the plot as compared to 'open water', but I think the author has sought to define himself with this writing style and I appreciate the lyricality of the prose.

“Many of us gathered have long lost our faith but we do believe in rhythm. We do believe in the ability of a four-minute cut to stretch time until it is unrecognizable, each second its own forever.”

Small Worlds is a vibrant sequel. I loved how Caleb examines what it means to feel comfortable and secure in who we are, where we came from, and eventually where we're going, and ideally how we carve out and create our own spaces for ourselves.

Thank you, Grove Atlantic, Grove Press for the ARC.

Thank you NetGalley for approving me to read an early copy of this book!

TW/CW: police brutality (brief), death, grief

I continue to be in awe of Caleb Azumah Nelson’s ability to weave together a story that makes you feel all the things at once.

Small Worlds tackles grief, familial relationships, and more. It is beautifully written and very lyrical. Repetitive at times but with intention which strengths the story.

Chapter 50 was one of the most beautiful chapters I’ve ever read. He wove together multiple storylines in a way I’ve rarely seen done. I’ll be thinking about that chapter and the way this book ended for a long time.

I enjoyed reading this book and can’t wait to see what the authors mind comes up with next!

I was so excited to read this bc I’ve been hearing positive reviews about the writer’s debut but I gotta say his second book fell short. Sure, it’s written so beautifully, but it’s also so painfully slow paced… it feels as if the writer focused on being poetic instead of the plot… bc the premise is pretty simple, a young man who struggles to find his own rhythm after his small world was disrupted by the reality of the big world out there, pretty much like every other YA books. But one of the things that I admire about the book is though I never knew what it feels like to be an immigrant or minorities who rely on the community, the writer delivers it well, so that I kinda have the idea what it feels like and how important it is for them; how significant their small world is for them. And I kinda envy them, bc I never had it.. I never knew what it’s like to feel like you belong… where everyone knows you and shares the same struggle as you. And I suppose it’s beautiful and somehow makes life a whole lot easier.

“…the dead never leave. They’re in the slink of our hips, the swing of our limbs, in our whispers, our screams, our ecstasy.”

Thank you Netgalley and Grove Atlantic for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Small Worlds tells the story of finding your home, your people, your culture, your groove and staying in that small world for as long as you can. And what happens when those worlds crash down around you. How systemic racism will always find its way into your small world to dismantle it completely. How depression will always find its way into your small world and break you down with loneliness. How trauma is passed down and so deeply ingrained we don’t even realize we’ve inherited it. So we dance our way through it all as best as we can in the groove we’ve found. We sit in the anger we sit in the hurt we let pain take over to remind ourselves to never forget.

Much like Open Water there is a poetic prose using musical references to tell the story. The way he portrays love and desire and other intense human emotions, making you also feel them deep within you. I enjoy the fact that he captures so perfectly how parents are fully autonomous beings as well and how they have full lives before entering parenthood which very often mirror closely the lives their children end up a part of, that was done beautifully. As well as the way joy and horror are so closely intertwined. Figuring out how and why we as humans are the way we are whether it’s inherited traumas or simply how are day to day life impacts us. We find a way to dance through it creating safe spaces for others like us small worlds for us to stay in. Caleb Azumah Nelson is a force to be reckoned with and continues to be an auto buy/auto read author for me.

Small Worlds

The worst thing about getting some ARCs, mainly soft copies, is that if I love them, I will be relentless in figuring out the right time to buy the physical book because I HAVE TO HAVE IT ON MY SHELF.

‘Small Worlds’ joins the few books that have done this to me. While I own a physical copy of ‘Open Water’ and held onto it despite getting rid of many books last year, ‘Small Worlds’ has done much better.
While ‘Open Water’ touched upon the themes of colonisation and how the white world sees black men, ‘Small Worlds’ went deeper into those themes, relationships being more fleshed out and real while retaining the poetic beauty of the language.
Initially, when the novel starts, Stephen is waiting for his university acceptance letter and finally goes to college far from home, away from his small world of people and places he knows and loves. His loneliness is palpable, and he goes home when he can’t bear it any longer. His father tells him, like all immigrant parents, about how hard he has worked only for him to quit college. Stephen, though, is a musician; the older man initially doesn’t seem to understand him. The age-old fight, none of them wrong.
Stephen is a second-generation immigrant from Ghana to London. His way of life and how his body responds to dance; food and culture come alive beautifully and play the chords of disharmony to perfection.

In the book, Stephen goes to Ghana and visits Cape Coast Castle, one of the 40 ’slave castles’ used to hold enslaved Africans before they were shipped to the Americas. The guide shows him the ‘gate of no return’, after which point the person has lost his name and personhood forever and is a commodity. The conditions in which millions of enslaved people were stuffed in dark, airless slave holes for weeks until they were shipped. How have I not heard of these horrific places all over African coasts, while at the same time, I have been to places like ‘Dachau’ and felt the pain of people there? This sort of painful ancestral history can never leave a person.

While the novel talks about a father-son relationship, this creeps up unexpectedly, and this was a very human and relatable read and Caleb Azumah Nelson is probably one of the few men who write women so so sensitively. I loved it.

Caleb Azumah Nelson does it again, stunning, I LOVED it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me an advance copy, I will definitely be recommending.

thank u net galley & grove for the arc <3

GOOD GRIEF. this is such a good book. i am so obsessed w/ azumah nelsons brain its not even funny.
this book made me cry, which is rare for me. the writing was gorgeous, the characters were lovable and complicated and so very human. loved the food descriptions, loved the exploration of family dynamics and what is passed down to us from our parents and their parents and so on. i realized while finishing this that caleb azumah nelson writes so well about love, whether it's romantic, familial, a love for beauty, art, music, food, a love even found in moments where we're grieving, losing sight of ourselves. whatever it may be, he just writes about it so lyrically and captures those little moments (small worlds?) so dang well.

hes got a forever fan in me <3

'i am in the eye of a moshpit. i am in my mother's kitchen. i am the ebb and flow of the ocean. i am the beach disappeared by the tide. i am the breath between notes. i am the silence.'

wow wow wow. caleb azumah nelson does it again! just like 'open water', 'small worlds' is so poetic and beautiful. it is a loveletter to culture, to home, to family, to friends.

I have yet to come across another author like Caleb. There is no one out there who does it quite like him.

His quiet and delicate approach to the stories and characters he allows to grow through each page, the way he patiently allows them to explain their deepest fears and insecurities which prohibit them from opening up to those who they love, and of how he sensitively but passionately approaches topics such as police brutality, and the ways in which the endless stories we read about can fracture and break down a community surrounded in love & familiarity. Reading his words feels like you’re being transported into his world where there is only room for music, love, passion & joy. A world I am desperate to never leave.

Stephen, our protagonist, lives and breathes dancing. He has found a sanctuary which allows him to express both the anger and joy he feels, through the melodies and rhythms he and his friends are able to create. When I think of Stephen and this novel, I think of SAULT and their song ‘Free’. I can picture Stephen dancing in a club with his friends, and Del, raising their hands euphorically and swaying to the sounds of Cleo Sol. Dancing to the joy of being young.

As much as dancing leaves room for him to be himself, this also creates an unwavering tension in his relationship with his father, who believes Stephen is disgracing him for not chasing after something more tangible like education, particularly when, as his father said, he sacrificed so much in coming to England to carve out a future for his family. The relationship which unfolds between Stephen and his father is a difficult one, but one in which many people I’m sure will familiarise with.

Caleb truly has a gift and I’m so glad he has chosen to share it with us as readers. I cannot wait to see this play out on screen and see Caleb get the flowers he deserves.