Open Water

Open Water is the debut novel from British Ghanian author Caleb Azumah Nelson, originally published on February 4, 2021, by Viking Press. It was greeted with positive reviews and critical fanfare, winning the Costa Book Award for First Novel (a recently discontinued Irish-British literary prize). The book follows the romance between two Black artists from South East London, depicting the challenges of creating emotional bonds while living under the constant stress of systemic racism. Through referencing a wide range of Black artists, Open Water celebrates Black creativity and the joy of Black community.

This guide refers to the US edition printed by Black Cat, an imprint of Grove Atlantic, in April 2021.

Content Warning: This text discusses systemic racism, police violence, and the death of a Black man.

Plot Summary

Open Water is written from the second-person perspective and is a lyrical, often disconnected text. It begins with a prologue depicting a scene from the middle of the male narrator’s love affair with a woman, in which his barber states that the protagonist and the woman are in a powerful relationship of some kind. The unnamed narrator lists what are later explained as reasons for writing the book, including his goal of telling the story of his romance with his best friend. The prologue closes with a line about the narrator crying in darkness.

The narrator meets the unnamed woman who will become his lover at a birthday party in the basement of a pub. He asks his friend, Samuel, to introduce him to the woman, not realizing that Samuel and the woman are currently dating. The narrator and the woman hit it off, making Samuel feel left out, about which the narrator feels guilty. The narrator, who is a photographer, is then pulled away to take photographs of the birthday girl. When he is done, the woman is gone.

The narrator has a theory that winter is not a good season for having a crush. He talks to his brother, Freddie, about the woman, but Freddie thinks that he shouldn’t have a crush on a friend’s girlfriend. The narrator decides to let himself feel the attraction until it runs its course. He describes an imaginary visit with his recently deceased grandmother, in which talks about the woman he just met. His amused grandmother notes that he shouldn’t hide what is important to him.

The narrator and his future lover go out for drinks. The narrator agrees to take pictures for the woman’s project of documenting Black people. The two get drunk and connect over music. At the woman’s house, they avoid touching each other. Samuel arrives, and the narrator feels guilty, although nothing romantic has occurred.

The narrator and the woman talk on the phone, sharing that their fathers carry a lot of pain and do not communicate well. The woman later goes to the narrator’s house. They realize that they both went to predominantly white private schools. Before the woman leaves, the narrator gives her his favorite hoodie so that she won’t be cold on the way home.

The narrator has an emotional crisis while listening to music that encourages him to think about how he’s feeling. After weeping, a new song allows the narrator to find gratitude and joy. He remembers a similar experience at a jazz club.

While the woman is back at university in Dublin, she and the narrator talk on the phone about his depression. She describes dance as the one activity during which she can fully be herself. Because the woman didn’t return his hoodie before she left, the protagonist visits her mother. They discuss writing, and the narrator recalls meeting author Zadie Smith at a signing of her book NW.

Once back in London, the woman invites the narrator over to her house. They hang out and discuss how they both have not had sex recently; for the woman, not since breaking up with Samuel, who will no longer respond to the narrator’s calls. The pair fall asleep on the couch and move to sharing the woman’s bed in the middle of the night. Later, they decide this doesn’t change anything. However, the woman’s friend notices their connection. The narrator feels that he is sharing much of himself.

The narrator describes his obsession with the woman as a fever dream. The protagonist joins the woman while she drinks with her friends, and one asks if they are in a sexual relationship. Later, the woman makes the narrator promise that they’ll stay best friends, before they again cuddle in her bed.

Over the phone, the woman again insists that they are just friends. The same day, the narrator undergoes a stop-and-frisk by the police. As when he endured a road stop, the narrator doesn’t tell anyone about the incident. He is profiled again while walking home. Day later, he learns that his grandfather died and calls the woman for comfort. He thinks about how he will always live his life hiding who he is.

Months later, the narrator goes to meet the woman despite some reluctance. They witness an instance of police brutality. The woman is upset that the narrator didn’t tell her that he previously ran into Samuel. There is a renter in the woman’s room in her apartment, so the protagonist cannot sleep in her bed. He goes home.

Later, in the summer, the narrator yearns for a simpler and more pleasurable life. The woman surprises the narrator at work. He writes her letters. They cuddle in his bed. They discuss the film Moonlight, and the narrator reads the woman an essay he wrote about watching a video of police murdering a Black man. He cries, and the woman comforts him.

The protagonist takes a photo of the woman. They go out dancing, get drunk, and say that they love each other. The next day, the narrator stays at the woman’s late into the night, and they have sex. Though the woman must return to Dublin for a week, the narrator confirms that they are in a relationship. He discusses two Black painters with a friend. At a party, the narrator admits that he and the woman are dating and invites her to join him and his friends. They dance.

On Carnival Sunday (a large event in Notting Hill), the narrator helps his lover bleach her hair. They find a barber to trim it, which becomes the scene from the prologue. The following Carnival Monday, the narrator finds himself at party with racist people. He leaves and joins a group dancing in the streets and feels better.

The woman must return to Dublin at the end of summer, and the narrator feels terrified at the separation. He visits her, which is overall positive, though the narrator notices the police watching them. Although he has a nightmare about being murdered by the police, the protagonist deflects the woman’s questions about his wellbeing. He continues to withhold from his partner but tries to talk himself into opening up by thinking about how much he loves and trusts her.

The narrator visits his barber again, connecting deeply with the other Black man. This is interrupted by a Black boy named Daniel crashing into the barbershop through the window. He is fleeing from assailants, who run off, but the armed police arrive and violently search everyone in the shop. The narrator is angry but smothers it. Later, he sees Daniel looking cheerful and is calmer, but minutes later Daniel is killed by a car in a hit-and-run.

This plunges the narrator into an intense depression. He cuts off contact with his lover because he doesn’t want to be vulnerable with her. A week later, she appears outside his house and, distraught from their lack of contact, breaks up with him. He later keeps a photography appointment and realizes that his subject is internalizing his misery.

The narrator comes out of his depression and thinks of all the things that he is finally ready to share with his ex-lover. These include his debilitating emotional response to living under systemic racism. He reveals that he and Daniel were friendly acquaintances. He remembers positive moments when he has listened to Black music, and he records a rap demo with a drummer friend. He reflects that he wants to ask forgiveness from the woman for not being vulnerable with her.

The novel ends a year later; the woman still cries for the narrator. She is grateful that he presents her with a truthful narrative at last. She has bought a camera, and as the two sit together in a park, she takes a photo of him. He feels that she sees him completely for who he is.