Open Water

A lyrical expression of a young man’s first true love complicated by being Black in London is way too simple a way of describing this beautifully written paean to the meaning of love, that glance across the room, that shiver up the spine.

Most of us know that feeling of glancing across a room/bar/club and your eyes meeting with ‘The One’, the feeling of electricity surging up your spine, the heat coming to your face and the complete knowledge that you have to get to know this person.

That’s what this book gets across so strongly and lovingly.

Kept having to pause when reading this either due to the tears that kept rising or to that feeling of electricity coursing through me from Caleb’s words.

From that first meeting in a club, the two develop an intense friendship complicated by others, that eventually flourishes into a relationship.

I couldn’t really pause reading this book as it was so true all the way through, as was the end which I won’t spoil, but it was so right for the lives lived.

It was so disappointing not to see this win the overall Costa award but I’m so looking forward to Caleb’s next offering.