Open Water

• The story is a powerful depiction of two people discovering everything they need in each other, set against a backdrop of race, fear, and violence. These realities are woven into the narrative, making it authentic and intense. Things become complicated; people are hurt—some bleed, some cry. The way these themes are handled is profoundly impactful.

• This is one of the most beautiful books I’ve read in awhile. It reads like poetry and it’s the kind of book that makes you want to slow down and appreciate the composition of a moment to take everything in. This is why we read, for books that snap you out of your regular awareness and way of thinking. They give you pause, shake you with their beauty to re-evaluate the way we interact with and understand the world around us.

• Beautifully written. Maybe more like a long form poem than a novel for how lyrical it is, but no less gripping. It would stand another reread to take in everything that’s being ruminated on. I particularly love the depiction of love blossoming between friends.

• Some of the finest passages in the novel are loving depictions of music and the prose itself has a lyricality that will rock you tenderly in it’s rhythmic quality. It also opens opportunities for dualities in the many themes present, showing a versatility of imagery and metaphor that embodies the contradictory aspects of life.

• This gorgeous short novel tells us a story of love and vulnerability. It is narrated in the second person, with deeply poetic language. The protagonist is a photographer who meets his friend's girlfriend at a party and is immediately smitten with her. Throughout the story, we see them form a friendship that over time turns into a romance.

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