Afternoon Book Club

Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson

This exquisite debut novella is a beautifully crafted piece of poetic art that carries an impact well above its relatively short length. It explores identity, what it is to be a young black Londoner, the nature of masculinity, the excruciating exhaustion, fragmentation and trauma of racism, the police brutality, and of constantly not being seen, only perceived as being the black other.

Two black artists from similar backgrounds, he’s a photographer, and she, a dancer, find themselves moving beyond the parameters of their friendship into the the deeper, open waters of an emotionally intense and intimate relationship as they become lovers. Inevitably, he brings his personal history, its scars, fears and insecurity too, and when the relationship ends and his lover returns to Dublin, the reverberations continue.

There is love, heartbreak and hope in the poignant and moving narrative, littered with black cultural references, and which resonates so deeply with our contemporary realities.

Everyone is welcome.  We meet in the homes of members and the logistics of our meetings change frequently. Please contact Lavonne Swanson for the time and location of the meeting.