A short, piercing novel that skewers British ways of thinking about race and class. It's a gorgeous, intimate exploration of one character's thoughts as she approaches a big decision and goes to meet her boyfriend's parents. It came out this summer and I just know that it's going to last for a long time. It's hot, but it's more than just a moment.”—ADAM ZMITH, author of DEEP SNIFF THE INDEPENDENT DAILY MAIL BOOKLIST Assembly is a treasure of concision." —THE MILLIONS THE MILLIONS, Most Anticipated Books of the Month Get Out and Mrs. Dalloway , if we can imagine Clarissa Dalloway trying to convert Cheshire Cat smiles and ‘sympathetic brows’ into actual conversation with her Jamaican-descended future daughter-in-law…Her indictment is forensic, clear, elegant, a prose-polished looking glass held up to her not-so-post-colonial nation. Only one puzzle remains unsolved: how a novel so slight can bear such weight.”—TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT Assembly is extraordinary, each word weighed, each detail meticulously crafted. It follows the horrible logic of systemic racism to its ghastly end point through a modern Mrs. Dalloway , drifting through London as a party looms, revealing life’s horrors in a relentless stream of consciousness…Brown’s protagonist jumps off the page at you, and her pain is palpable. Meanwhile, Brown is mercilessly clear-eyed in her delineation of how British culture is also ‘assembled’ — its history whitewashed and arguing against it near-impossible when ‘the only tool of expression is the language of this place’. Yet she wields that language like a weapon and hits her mark again and again with devastating elegance.”—THE TIMES NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY Assembly holds (the Black-British) identity in its hands, examining it until it becomes both truer and stranger – a question more than an answer. I nodded, I mhmed, I sighed (and laughed knowingly, bitterly).” —RACHEL LONG, author of the Rathbones Folio-shortlisted MY DARLING FROM THE LIONS Assembly is an understated masterpiece. Elegant, the way a scalpel is elegant…powerfully affecting.”—MARIAN KEYES Lauren Elkin, author of FLÂNEUSE Mrs. Dalloway in Natasha Brown's searing Assembly , which is narrated by an unnamed Black woman as she prepares to spend the day at her boyfriend's parents' estate in the English countryside. But unlike the Virginia Woolf classic, this novel is about a woman who is about to burn an oppressive system to the ground — even if she has to take herself down with it.” —POPSUGAR (Best Books of September) much more than your money’s worth. The book is original and startling all at once, and, after reading Assembly , I cannot wait to see what Natasha Brown does next.” —SHONDALAND, Best Fall Reads GOOP (The 12 Best Books of the Year) Assembly is the thoughtful, incendiary story of one day in the life of its narrator, a Black British woman preparing to attend a lavish party but thinking about the choices she's made—the bourgeoise lifestyle into which she's opted—and whether it’s something she can continue to stomach for even another moment.” —TOWN & COUNTRY, Must Read Books of Fall Assembly will sweep up readers with the sheer power of Brown's devastatingly eloquent prose, culminating in a gorgeous countryside setting where the narrator, attending a lavish party at her boyfriend's family estate, finally confronts her destiny.” —SHELF AWARENESS, Starred Review MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE Cecelia Rabess, THE MILLIONS
The whisper-soft voice of narrator Pippa Bennett-Warner draws listeners into this story told by an unnamed Black professional woman who is British. Though only two hours long, the audiobook reveals how racism and sexism infiltrate almost every aspect of the woman’s daily life, including the simple acts of walking down the street and entering a shop. Bennett-Warner captures the poetic cadence of the introspective text as the woman ponders colleagues’ reactions to her progress at work, navigates meeting her wealthy white boyfriend’s parents, and makes decisions about a recent medical diagnosis. Bennett-Warner wisely tones down her portrayals of secondary characters, keeping listeners’ attention fully on the main character’s thoughts and lived experiences. The woman’s story is unique to her but is also relatable to others who live with insidious discrimination. C.B.L. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine
SEPTEMBER 2021 - AudioFile
The whisper-soft voice of narrator Pippa Bennett-Warner draws listeners into this story told by an unnamed Black professional woman who is British. Though only two hours long, the audiobook reveals how racism and sexism infiltrate almost every aspect of the woman’s daily life, including the simple acts of walking down the street and entering a shop. Bennett-Warner captures the poetic cadence of the introspective text as the woman ponders colleagues’ reactions to her progress at work, navigates meeting her wealthy white boyfriend’s parents, and makes decisions about a recent medical diagnosis. Bennett-Warner wisely tones down her portrayals of secondary characters, keeping listeners’ attention fully on the main character’s thoughts and lived experiences. The woman’s story is unique to her but is also relatable to others who live with insidious discrimination. C.B.L. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine
SEPTEMBER 2021 - AudioFile
