Having just recently discovered the author’s writing through his debut novel “Open Water” in the beginning of 2023, I instantly fell in love with his style. Once I heard that he would soon release a new piece of writing, I had to get my hands on it as soon as possible. Just about 2 months after its release date I got through “Small Worlds” and was once again mesmerised by Azumah Nelson’s skills. In this story you’ll read about what it’s like being an immigrant, born in a country where you’re not fully accepted, yet not completely fitting in back at “home”, your parents’ birthplace, either anymore. It’s about the hardships of growing up, choosing one’s path in life, one’s romantic relationships, as well as the one with one’s family but most importantly what it’s a story about what it’s like to exist as a Black person in London.

He was trying to fight the inability to speak with his desire to. I think this happens often to many of us, this language we have less tool than burden, caught between somewhere, something lost between expression and emotion. Sometimes, silence in the face of trauma is useful. It allows time for those grieving to mourn, to organize, for a feeling to lose its haze and ossify, and to try to give words to what has been done unto us.

p. 191

Similar to the author’s first novel, the words and phrases flowed naturally here as well. The book had a beautiful rhythm to it, being lyrical and poetic at the same time, evoking vivid imagery with the descriptions. The sentences were untypically long for a novel written in English but I only noticed it while writing this review. While reading, everything came together perfectly. Certain phrases kept coming back again and again, giving the feeling of words following the rhythm of the ebb and the flow similar to waves in the ocean.

Pulling in, I see Adeline, having known her so long I know the way light holds her neck, know her rhythm even when she’s still, and seeing the space between us, I go towards her, allowing a smile to emerge from the depths of my being […].

p. 4

Soon, it’s an arm wrapping around my body from behind, and I know it’s Del. We’ve known each other so long she knows the way light holds my neck, she knows my rhythm, even when I’m still.

p. 6

There were a couple of little details why I decided to go for a 4/5 ★ in the end. There were a bit too many mentions of drugs, smoking joints etc. for my own taste, them having come up on about 6% of the pages in the book. That’s obviously a very personal perception though and might not bother you if you’re not too sensitive to that topic. Within “Small Worlds“, everything was centered around music, the protagonists both being strongly involved in the scene, making music themselves. I wasn’t familiar with the majority of the mentioned artists and songs and could therefore not really relate as much. I do think that there could be a huge added benefit of listening to the songs each time they’re mentioned in writing in order to have an even deeper feeling for the story. I’d suggest you to read the book while listening to this Spotify playlist, where almost all of the mentioned songs are gathered in one place. As a comparison, “Open Water“, which I rated with 5/5 ★, was written about the lives of two main characters, a photographer and a dancer, where the references used were more familiar to me.

The bass is as much about the quiet as it is about the sound; in the same way a heartbeat contracts and relaxes, filling with life, a single note needs stillness to breathe. My trumpet swings loose by my side as she closes her eyes and draws inside herself, playing from something like a memory of a different time, a memory of something honest and true. She draws inside, until she is a house from which sound spills.

p. 144

A big part of the book dealt with family relations, the expectations that come with them, the arguments, the misunderstandings and the mystery around who one’s parents really are. How it feels like putting puzzle pieces together, collecting stories from different people, in order to reconstruct the full picture of their past. Towards the end, the main character’s father is handed the card of the narrator and I wished for this to have happened earlier on in the story. It added a deeper and more intimate level, revealing vulnerability, so I found it to be a pity that it was given so little space within the entire storyline. Nevertheless, this contributed to the fact that the book ended on a very high note, summing up everything to such a meaningful reading experience.

You’re worried that your sons have inherited your haunting and maybe their sons will too. In pain, in pain, every day in pain. […] You want to be loose. You want to unspool. You want to answer a door without the fear that you’ll be wrenched loose from the grip of your own life. […] You’ll say, it’s been so long since you’ve known freedom. Maybe you’ve never been free.

p. 252

I can see this book being appealing to second generation immigrants. The ones that were born in a country that’s different from the one their parents were born in and all the challenges that come with such circumstances. I can see how people from Ghana would probably feel a strong connection with everything mentioned, being familiar with the food and the music mentioned. It will appeal to those who are curious about diving into a world exploring the first and tender feelings of attraction and love, the feelings of inevitable disappointment linked to them and having one’s heart broken. But most of all, to those, who appreciate beautiful writing and an intricate style. Similar to the author Ocean Vuong, I have become interested in Caleb Azumah Nelson as a person upon reading his second novel. If you’re still wondering if the book could be something for you, I’d suggest you to watch this video interview with the author. It made me curious about his opinions on various topics and it helped creating a bond with someone who radiates such genuine and pleasant vibes, drawing you in with his positivity. I’ll surely be reading whatever the author publishes next!

★★★★☆ (4/5)

_{Edition: ISBN 978-0-241-57434-8
Viking, 2023}