“…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.

A quiet and nuanced portrait of a fascinating character, and a beautiful love story woven in. I was blown away by the writing on this one - poetic and simple. A stunning read, I loved it.

Small World by Caleb Azumah Nelson
Small Worlds tells the story of Stephen, who has only ever known himself in a song. Stephen’s small world is made up of his family and friends. Divided into two parts and set over the course of three summers in Stephen’s life, Small Worlds is a novel about the worlds we build for ourselves and the worlds we live in.

Review:

The dedication reads “For Mum and Pops, for J and J, for Es, my own small world”

Through the author's writing and use of language, Azumah Nelson weaves interconnected stories about family and friends - what makes our small world. The author takes the reader on a journey, unfolding Stephen’s story over three summers. As the reader progresses through the book, we gain a greater understanding of Stephen's small world and transitional period.

In the first part “Two Young People in the Summertime” the author presents Stephen trying to figure out his future as a musician, a romantic relationship with Del and life after graduating High School. In this first part, the reader learns about Stephen’s parents - their life in Ghana and migration to the UK.
A pivotal part of the storytelling of Small Worlds is music. It is not because Stephen is a musician, but because the music describes each character and their pivotal moments.

Another thing I loved is the use of the Ghanaian Language - Ga to describe the depth the language possesses. “Homo Ye Mi, Etomi - Hunger has taken me. I am weary to the depths of my being”. Whenever Ghanaian food is mentioned in the book, I literally felt my mouth water.

The book is intense, raw, and breathtaking written in a poetic prose form. The book has a way of drawing the reader in. It's a heavy pull into Stephen’s small world.

I enjoyed the relationships explored in the book - father-mother, mother-son, father-son, brother (Raymond and Stephen), romantic relationship ( Del-Stephen), Mother-Auntie Yaa, Auntie Yaa - Stephen, and lastly the discovery of self (who Stephen was when he was alone). The father-son relationship explored in the book is honest and vulnerable.

This is my first 5-star read of the year and I highly recommend it.

Here are my favourite quotes

I pray then, like I’ve never prayed before asking not for money, or a job, but that this new world I’m building for myself, I ask that it be constructed from peace.

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

To sleep with grief is not to sleep at all.

And because anger is close to love, I go there.

It feels like a quiet life, but it's mine. I’ve tried to build my own small world in the vastness, and it's helping: I’m feeling more and more like the person I was or the person I might become.

Thank you netgalley for this ARC!

Omg caleb does it again. Another beautifully written novel i requested this one because i also read the ARC for open water which also was an amazing book please never stop writing books caleb the penship and the writing in your novels is beautiful.

This book had so much stuff from grief, loss,heartbreak,friendships family dynamics, culture EVERYTHING this book did not disappoint it followed so many storylines and i loved so many of them. I also loved the music aspect in this novel which i assume is the big message behind this book how music gets us through so many things in life and how so many of us in our little worlds rely on music for different things and how it also brings us all together in many ways from heartbreak grief or just to have an amazing time with friends and family music will always be there when we need it. I cant tell you how many characters i loved in this novel the author always writes such beautiful characters and always has the reader going through so many emotions during his stories always touching down on important topics in society. This book made me smile at times made me sad at times but overall made me realize how beautiful this piece of work is! I look forward to many more books from this author i love love the writing. I also love that this book took you too different places as well as you read and all the foods sounded delicious.

Yall read this one it was so good.

Set over three defining summers in the protagonist's life, Small Worlds has the same charm and pull as Open Water. For me, it's actually the better, stronger story; the writer's storytelling skills have certainly matured. The prose can still be a little too repetitive, but because this book has a much clearer narrative arc, it doesn't negatively impact the story like it did (for me) in the latter half of his debut offering. The author's voice is smooth, poetic, and has the uncanny knack of voicing complex feelings so many of us feel but are unable to sufficiently articulate.

Highly recommended for readers that enjoy Black coming-of-age, exploratory stories about identity, father-son dynamics, immigrant life, racism, belonging, and more. As with Open Water, music plays a pivotal role in Small Worlds.

This was a really beautiful book covering so many topics we can all relate to romantic and parental love told through music, food, connection and ultimately finding freedom and acceptance. It's poetically written and takes you on a journey throughout an early adulthood of figuring out where you fit in the world.

The only issue from me was the frequent repetition of lines representing themes of the book, including repeating the title many times. I get that we're trying to convey a message throughout but it felt a little like being spoonfed when it was repeating so frequently. I think without having that so often, I'd have no fault in this lovely little book.

I am once again under the spell of the incredible writing of Caleb Azumah Nelson. The words are so accurate, it resonates a lot with me. Her way of talking about family, love, finding your place, being part of a community, etc. He inspires me enormously, he is one of my biggest literary favorites in recent years, this author. It is a privilege to be able to read these words and that he shares this vulnerability with us, I feel lucky to discover them. There are really sentences that come out of the book to get inside me, it's a very strange and restorative feeling at the same time. I have the impression of rediscovering a lot of my experience and things that make sense. The number of tears shed...

I truly have no complaints. The characters, the pacing, the story, the music, the writing, the ending. The couple typos that inevitably popped up due to it being an advanced copy just made the story feel more intimate overall. I don't know how it could get better but I'll be there to check when this book comes out, and to supplement this review with a million quotes and excerpts. Thank you for reading and go preorder this book.

Thanks to Penguin General UK - Fig Tree, Hamish Hamilton, Viking, Penguin Life, Penguin Business and Netgalley for provinding me with this Book!

I loved this book! I absolutely adored Caleb Azuman Nelson's debut novel, Open Water, and so I was incredibly excited when I heard that his second book, Small Worlds, was due out this year. Despite my (very) high expectations, I was certainly not disappointed and I daresay that I loved Small Worlds even more than I did Open Water!

This is by far one of the most beautiful books I've ever read. Small Worlds is a gorgeously written story about growing up, the art and beauty of music and dance, and the power of love in all its forms - familial, romantic and platonic. The prose itself is lyrical, reading like a music of its own - it has its own rhythm and its own melody, and it truly is a joy to behold. Small Worlds is almost like an open love letter to music, thoughtfully and movingly depicting how music can bring us closer to our roots and our community and provide us with a sense of belonging; how music allows us to express our emotions and encourages us to feel deeply; and how music can restore and save us when we feel lost.

Quite honestly, I loved everything about this book. Genuinely touching, poignant and so very powerful, Small Worlds has confirmed that Caleb Azumah Nelson is one of the most unique and exciting contemporary voices out there.

Unfortunately I had a really difficult time getting into this one. I loved the authors other work Open Water and I think this just wasn’t the right time for me to read this book. I hope to return to it in the future!

Beautiful writing style
Authentic and relatable story
Beautiful relationships
Poetic as always
Caleb’s writing style is very unique
You can’t stop reading till you are done and will always want more.

I absolutely loved Caleb Azumah Nelson's debut novel, Open Water, and it was one of my favourite reads of 2021. I eagerly awaited his next novel. I'm not sure if it was the pacing, or the writing style, but this time around, I felt very disconnected from the characters and the story. As a result, I never found myself reaching to pick this one up.

This book follows Stephen, over three summers of his life after graduating from high school and heading to university, set between London and Ghana. It hits important points regarding migration, intergenerational trauma, love, family, marginalization, music, friendship and dance. And it was great to be immersed in Caleb Azumah Nelson's style again. To say this one didn't work for me does not mean it won't work for everyone, and I will still pick up anything he writes in the future.

Firstly, thank you so much for lending the advanced review copy. Like a lot of other reviews of this book, I too think that the writing is lyrically visual and the world that the writer as created is so personal and immersive. The only irritation I had while reading it was that a lot of the lines, sentences and their meaning were repetitive. I was also hoping for a clear defined plot, but I guess it's a slice of life book, which I enjoyed as well.

3.5

The author's writing is poetic and fluid, and the novel has a vibe that feels similar to 'Open Water.'

Important issues were touched upon in the novel, though the depiction of Stephen's experience with the big ones (e.g., father-son dynamic; grief & loss; intimate relationships; finding a path in life; navigating young adulthood) could have been more fleshed out. This makes sense to me given Stephen is a young adult, but it made it difficult to stay fully immersed and connected to the story and the main character and to want to sink back into the novel between reading breaks.

The most powerful moments were portrayals of Stephen's highs and lows, which felt vulnerable and intimate. Perhaps a more in-depth examination of Stephens experience with one or two key struggles over the course of shorter period of time might have made for a more captivating novel.

*Many thanks to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest feedback!

There’s something about the way that really brilliant literary fiction writers are able to capture emotion that just makes me insane every time. The prose in this book is such a masterpiece, it took me a chapter or two to get used to the writing style but once I did? I wanted to highlight every single sentence and imprint it permanently onto my brain. The way everything is described, the lyricism of the writing and use of musical motifs running through the whole story, the way the feelings of the protagonist are communicated on the page… dear god it was all just so good.

This book did a beautiful job at taking us through so many journeys: feeling lost in the transition between childhood and adulthood, first love, reckoning with living in a country that wants you gone, the immigrant experience, finding your passion in life, grief and loss, and I could keep going. I thought Caleb Azumah Nelson handled it all incredibly and I can’t wait to go and read more of his work!

Identity. Community. Music. Faith. These are some of the words that come to mind when I think of Small Worlds by Caleb Azumah Nelson.

The book follows a young Ghanaian man living in London through his late teens – navigating young adulthood with respect to his future, his romantic life, and his place in his community. It depicts the struggles of keeping your identity when moving to a new country through food, music, gathering, faith, and celebration.

It explores the small worlds we create through our intimate relationships with others while we are trying to make sense of the bigger one around us. I really loved that part, because it's so true. The relationship you have with one person is entirely different than one you have with another, yet they can all stand alone as a small little world entirely yours that you share together, which I think is so beautiful.

If you have read Open Water, the author's debut novel, you will know that Azumah Nelson has some very poetic writing. I hate to compare it to Open Water, but I did enjoy that one a bit more.

I think what can happen when an author has a specific writing style is that their work can feel repetitive. I could almost picture Stephen, the main character in this book, as a younger version of the main character in Open Water. Not that it's a bad thing, it's just something that I noticed.

Overall, I really did enjoy this and I recommend it. I feel like I created my own small world with the book, just like I do with every book I read that I feel connected to, and I'm so thankful to have been given that perspective through this story.

Thank you very much to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.