Review: Small Worlds, by Caleb Azumah Nelson

Title: Small Worlds

Author: Caleb Azumah Nelson

Publisher: Viking

Genre: Contemporary/Literary

Date of Publication: April 28, 2023

Number of Pages: 260

See it on Goodreads: Small Worlds

Summary

The one thing that can solve Stephen's problems is dancing. Dancing at Church, with his parents and brother, the shimmer of Black hands raised in praise; he might have lost his faith, but he does believe in rhythm. Dancing with his friends, somewhere in a basement with the drums about to drop, while the DJ spins garage cuts. Dancing with his band, making music which speaks not just to the hardships of their lives, but the joys too. Dancing with his best friend Adeline, two-stepping around the living room, crooning and grooving, so close their heads might touch. Dancing alone, at home, to his father's records, uncovering parts of a man he has never truly known.

Stephen has only ever known himself in song. But what becomes of him when the music fades? When his father begins to speak of shame and sacrifice, when his home is no longer his own? How will he find space for himself: a place where he can feel beautiful, a place he might feel free?

Set over the course of three summers in Stephen's life, from London to Ghana and back again, Small Worlds is an exhilarating and expansive novel about the worlds we build for ourselves, the worlds we live, dance and love within.

Review - Finding Your Own Rhythm

If you have been following my blog, you may have noticed my love for Open Water, Caleb Azumah Nelson's debut novel. In fact, I have recently included it in a post, where I recommended books with lyrical prose. However, I didn't expect to take me almost two years to read the author's second novel. The truth is that Small Worlds was recently translated to Greek, and so it was all over my social media. This was how I remembered that I needed to read it. I got the English version though, because I wanted to experience the author's prose in the original.

And Small Worlds immediately drew me to the early 2010s London. The writing was once again vivid, portraying the characters in a way that made them both familiar and relatable. Just like Open Water, this book's strength lied in describing all those internal thoughts and feelings that are difficult to talk about. Or, as Stephen says "I don’t know how to say this to Del, so I let the music fill in the gaps where I have failed".

Of course, I couldn't talk about Small Worlds without mentioning the music in it! As you've already seen by my recent Play(list) by the Book, there are almost 100 songs, artists, and records mentioned in the novel. And these references are not just for the sake of it, they give rhythm to the text, they become a driving force for the characters, they are a way for them to communicate their innermost thoughts, they are an integral part of the book. The music creates these small worlds, where everyone can be their genuine selves, or "We make our rhythm, until the quiet comes, until we’re elsewhere, in some small world".

Nevertheless, something didn't quite click with me this time. It's been a couple of days since I've finished reading it and I keep trying to pinpoint what bothered me, because on paper I should also have loved it. 

The answer I've come up with is that it feels too close to Open Water. There is a great chance that I would have loved it if I'd read it first, but right now, it was like reading Open Water 2.0, and I would much rather prefer rereading that book. Stephen reminded me of the protagonist in Open Water, the angsty romance definitely felt the same, and the exploration of Stephen's identity was done in a similar way. It really made it difficult not to make this comparison. 

For this reason, I would have loved if this book didn't focus so much on Stephen and Del's relationship, and explored more the other things in his life. For instance, I would have loved if the book started on part 3 and expanded from there. A big part of the latter part of the book is dedicated to Stephen's relationship to his dad, discovering who he really is, the man he once was when he decided to leave Ghana.

All in all, Small Worlds was an enjoyable read, even though it disappointed me when compared to Open Water. However, I would recommend it if you are want to read a coming-of-age story and a book that describes the experience of being a black person in London, how to keep your ties with a country that is so far away, and a complex relationship with your parents, and especially a son-father relationship.

Before I end this review though, I want to include a quote I loved:

"We stand in silence, the air heavy with things we don’t like to say to each other but can never forget: to forge these worlds for each other means to collectively dream of our freedom. In the wake of violence, acute or prolonged, we ask what we might need, how we might weather this time, how we might care for each other, how we might cultivate the space which encourages honesty, which encourages surrender. How we might build a small world, where we might feel beautiful, might feel free."

Read more of my reviews here.