C.A. Nelson weaved a wonderful mosaic of rhythm and blues suffused with a vibrating excitement between memory and present. That said, the story didn’t have the punch of his previous work ( Open Water). Perhaps I was expecting something even more penetrating on immigrant struggle , ethnic diversity, or racial issues. The last section tied most of the story together but unfortunately felt hurried. The narrative although expressive, at times was crumbling and repetitive (poetic license?), and the prose seemed forced, convoluted in an maze of words that tried to dazzle but in the end missed the point. The rhythms of Small Worldsare a feature of Azumah Nelson's quiet, particular ear and of a profound engagement with music. Nelson writes about closeness, with family, with lovers, with art, as careful, essential labour' RAVEN LEILANI, award-winning author of LUSTER I am so thrilled I overcame my hesitation. Once again, I am in love. I am also in awe of Nelson’s ability to write such a compelling story and develop his central character with such richness and honesty, without ever sacrificing his gorgeous lyrical language. It’s quite poetic without ever being flouncy.

To deepen the portrayal of his characters, Nelson relies mostly on reportage. Del has been shaped by being an orphan. “Her life is informed by loss but because she’s lost, she loves freely, openly, with all she can.” We’re told that music is key to understanding Del’s character, but the author offers little to fire our imagination that how she plays the double bass, for example, might be a manifestation of her grief.

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I heard that Nelson wrote this novel in the space of three months. And while that’s super-impressive, it might also prove that it needed more work. Now here’s the thing, this book did not cohesively come together for me. In a nutshell, there are two main plots: 1) Stephen’s romance with Del 2) Stephen’s relationship to his parents and their immigrant story. The sad thing is that one story is more successful (and interesting) than the other. And the writing for these two was like night and day. Small worlds follows Stephen as he journeys through summers in London and Ghana, relationships blossoming and unravelling, faith, trauma, grief and rhythm. This novel was one that I adored for so many reasons. A love story that expands beyond two people, the familial exploration of trauma and expectation and the art of dance and music as a reflection of the rhythm of life, loss and emotion. Words simply do not suffice for the rawness of Small Worlds and the exploration of how we find pleasure and joy in the simplicity of our own tiny universes and how at times that is, and isn't enough for us.

There are actual songs inside too, they show up often, as does dancing. I'm a dancer and when a book starts with dancing and has it as a central theme throughout...well, I'm sold.

Retailers:

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.

An exhilarating and expansive new novel about fathers and sons, faith and friendship from Caleb Azumah Nelson, the no.1 bestselling, award-winning author of Open Water As well as these themes, racism and discrimination in the UK was a big factor of the novel. Introducing such imperative discussions and how it paired with Stephen's personal and familial trauma was so important. It's undoubtedly a novel that will spark so much emotion for all readers, and make us reflect about the space we all hold within our own 'Small Worlds' and society.I'm gonna start out strong and say that reading Open Water convinced me that Caleb Azumah Nelson is one of the greatest writers alive. Small Worlds cemented that. As we were playing, my fingers slipped, an odd note coming from my horn. The mistake didn’t go unnoticed, but we continued on. It made me grateful for the freedom to be in that space, to make a mistake; and how that mistake might be beautiful to the right ear; how Del heard that odd note and followed with her own, adjusting her thrum; how the rest of us followed that twist and shift, surrendering to whatever unknown we were going towards. It was there that I noticed I only really knew myself in song. In the quiet, in the freedom, in the surrender.” But this new book isn’t about a photographer. It’s about a musician, Stephen, and we follow him through three summers with perhaps the main focus being Stephen’s developing relationship with Del. Like Open Water, Small Worlds isn't just a book, just a novel. It's a playlist, a poem, a song. It's a work of art, a place you want to disappear into. For anyone worried that Small Worlds won't be as good as Open Water, let me reassure you. It's just as good. Caleb Azumah Nelson is so incredibly talented that reading his writing feels like looking directly into the sun. After this, I would still look forward to reading anything that Nelson will write, and this gave me entry into a world I would like to revisit. Especially the deep cuts by J Dilla...

And, well, I liked it, I guess, but I wasn’t in love. Nelson did showcase more of his potent nature, but there was also disappointing filler. So, you can say I am in two worlds when it comes to this one. rounded downwards. I enjoyed this slightly less than Nelson's debut novel Open Water, from which Small Worlds felt like a natural progression. It's clear that he's growing as a novelist while maintaining the core features of what worked so well for him last time, but he threw in too many discordant elements this time, signaling his wider and deeper ambitions. 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 want him to be more open, to allow me the space to say, I feel broken, and I’m slowly taking myself apart, so I might build myself up once more" Reading this felt like a gift because I’ve felt so many of Stephen feelings before, and I’ve been where he has been and would never be able to put it into words. Stephen might only know himself in song, but Caleb certainly knows in words.A short, poetic and intellectual meditation on art and a relationship between a young couple' Bernardine Evaristo, Booker prize-winning author of GIRL, WOMAN, OTHER As for London I have relatives there (coincidentally the south-east) and that was where I spent my summers so those parts scratched a specific itch in my brain. But it's not always sunshine and rainbows, there's also grief. As someone's who's lost a parent young, I could relate all too well.