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Quick answer: If you loved Open Water, read Caleb Azumah Nelson's Small Worlds, then Luster, Normal People, Real Life and Queenie. All are intimate, lyrical novels about young Black lives, love and the strain of being seen.
Caleb Azumah Nelson's 2021 debut, told in the second person, follows a young Black photographer and a dancer who fall in love in London while confronting racism, vulnerability and art. It is short, tender and musical. The books below offer similar close, poetic stories of young love, race and creative lives.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Worlds | Caleb Azumah Nelson | Adult | more Nelson |
| Luster | Raven Leilani | Adult | messy desire |
| Normal People | Sally Rooney | Adult | two lovers |
| Real Life | Brandon Taylor | Adult | campus loneliness |
| Queenie | Candice Carty-Williams | Adult | London heartbreak |
| Such a Fun Age | Kiley Reid | Adult | race and class |
| Girl, Woman, Other | Bernardine Evaristo | Adult | many voices |
| The Vanishing Half | Brit Bennett | Adult | identity and sisters |
| Homegoing | Yaa Gyasi | Adult | generations apart |
| Giovanni's Room | James Baldwin | Adult | love and shame |
| The Fire Next Time | James Baldwin | Adult | essays on race |
| Brother | David Chariandy | Adult | Canadian novel |
| Americanah | Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie | Adult | love and race |
| Beloved | Toni Morrison | Adult | haunting history |
| Conversations with Friends | Sally Rooney | Adult | triangle of friends |
1. Small Worlds by Caleb Azumah Nelson
A young Black man in London balances dance, family and love. Tender and rhythmic.
Best for: more Nelson.
2. Luster by Raven Leilani
A young Black artist becomes involved with an older married man. Daring and funny.
Best for: messy desire.
3. Normal People by Sally Rooney
Marianne and Connell drift together and apart over the years. Quiet, intimate and addictive.
Best for: two lovers.
4. Real Life by Brandon Taylor
A Black gay graduate student faces a weekend of tension. Quiet and sharp.
Best for: campus loneliness.
5. Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams
Queenie unravels after a breakup. Funny, moving and bold.
Best for: London heartbreak.
6. Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
A young babysitter is caught in a public incident. Sharp and thoughtful.
Best for: race and class.
7. Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo
Twelve interlinked lives in Britain. Joyful, bold and Booker-winning.
Best for: many voices.
8. The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
Twin sisters take separate paths, one passing as white. Deeply felt.
Best for: identity and sisters.
9. Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
Two half-sisters' descendants live different lives in Ghana and America. Powerful and ambitious.
Best for: generations apart.
10. Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin
An American in Paris faces his desire. Short and devastating.
Best for: love and shame.
11. The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
Baldwin's essays on race in America. Short, brilliant and enduring.
Best for: essays on race.
12. Brother by David Chariandy
Two brothers grow up in Scarborough, Ontario. Quiet, lyrical and powerful.
Best for: Canadian novel.
13. Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
A Nigerian woman moves to the US and experiences race. Wide-ranging and witty.
Best for: love and race.
14. Beloved by Toni Morrison
A former slave is haunted by her past. Powerful and unforgettable.
Best for: haunting history.
15. Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney
A young writer becomes entangled with a married couple. Cool, witty and honest.
Best for: triangle of friends.
How to Choose
For more Nelson begin with Small Worlds. For close young love stories choose Normal People or Real Life. For London voices pick Queenie, Girl, Woman, Other or Brother. For sharper comedy read Luster or Such a Fun Age. For literary roots try Baldwin or Morrison. Open Water is short and lyrical, so these picks suit readers who love voice and mood. Open Water won the Costa First Novel Award and the British Book Awards Debut of the Year, and its second-person narration, which addresses the reader as you, is one of its most striking features. Audiobooks bring out the music in the prose. Poetic, short novels like this are good for readers who want emotional intensity without length. Pair Open Water with Baldwin for a classic perspective, or with Sally Rooney for a modern one. The audiobook, read by the author, is highly regarded for its rhythm.
Related: The Water Dancer Book Club Discussion Questions (With Summary and Themes) · The Covenant of Water Book Club Discussion Questions (With Summary and Themes)
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Open Water about?
Two young Black artists in London fall in love and face the world's pressures.
Who wrote it?
Caleb Azumah Nelson.
When was it published?
2021.
Is it a love story?
Yes, with a tender and tense core.
Is it told in second person?
Yes, the narrator addresses 'you'.
Is it a short book?
About 160 pages.
Does it deal with racism?
Yes, including police harassment.
What should I read next?
Try Small Worlds or Normal People.
Is Open Water a good place to start with contemporary Black British fiction?
Yes, it is short, lyrical and widely praised.
Does it have a happy ending?
The ending is painful but not without hope.
Which book here is best for campus loneliness?
Try Real Life by Brandon Taylor, which suits readers looking for campus loneliness.
Which book here is best for many voices?
Try Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo, which suits readers looking for many voices.
Which book here is best for love and shame?
Try Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin, which suits readers looking for love and shame.
Which book here is best for love and race?
Try Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, which suits readers looking for love and race.