Open Water

Caleb Azumah Nelson's cutting debut novel is a painful love tale among young Black artists in London. Nelson demonstrates mastery in writing youthful love, clocking the little and seemingly meaningless moments that embody desire in his protagonist, a photographer who has fallen for a dancer. Nelson honors the art that has influenced his characters' lives while examining the unfair reality that surrounds them in little over 150 intimate pages.

Two teenagers meet in a tavern in South East London. Both are Black British, both had scholarships to prestigious schools where they battled to fit in, and both are now artists - he a photographer, she a dancer - attempting to build a name for themselves in a city that both praises and rejects them. They fall in love tentatively and lovingly. But even if two individuals appear to be intended for one other, fear and violence can tear them apart.

Detailed information:
Author: Caleb Azumah Nelson
Link to read: goodreads.com/book/show/53414230-open-water