Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

For a short book, this packs a massive punch. Brown's writing is succinct but to the point, illustrating what it's like to try and be upwardly mobile as a black woman in Britain and the racism, microaggressions and sexual harrassment that comes with it. I think every white Briton should read this book. The stream-of-consciousness format works extremely well and you really do experience the day through the protagonist's eyes. One of the best books I've read this year.

Assembly is a very short novel, or a novella, that delivers a real punch. Its length, some 100 pages, allows it to be read in one sitting and I for one am already planning to read it again. It made me think, that is for sure. And the thinking started with the title.

This is a narrative that does not appear to be addressed to anybody in particular but the narrator herself. A reckoning with herself. The storyline is absurdly typical and topical in its conception: a protagonist who has gone from rags to riches so to speak... but with a particular caveat: she is a Black British Woman, and the landscape is that of Britain now. The narrator provides a succinct, dry, assemblage of data (education, expectations, a City career, chauvinism, class, politics, privilege, race, love, post-empire...) that is questioned to the core by an unexpected fact personal to the nameless narrator. This event actualises her predicament in a radical manner (the way it is introduced and how it functions in the narrative makes it a truly great idea, properly new, I felt, even if, again, it is on the surface yet another stereotype). The writing is serious, allusive, with a hint of irony or perhaps it is just the tone borne by the exhaustion alluded to again and again by the narrator.

I thoroughly enjoyed the reading game proposed by Natasha Brown. The reader has to work hard to get into this material gathered in front of us as if it were a bunch of clues in a mystery, or the evidence for a trial. There is a mystery and a trial - an individual's plight, society's amnesia. No solutions. It is hard.

With many thanks to Penguin via NetGalley for allowing me to read this timely, great, sad novel, which is asking to be discussed aloud.

A brilliant slim volume that has a lot to say about what it’s like for a black women living in Britain. A Britain, where much of the mainstream media and government representatives still seems to be in a state of denial when it comes to it’s colonial past and racism.
This book details the hurdles that hat have to be overcome, the hatred that has to be faced everyday for a person of colour.
Our narrator is a successful black business woman who’s success is constantly questioned as fulfilling a quota, while those born into money, overloaded with confidence, never doubt their right to money and success. However, she questions her success, the compromises she has made, and not only does she have to deal with the emotional scares of racism but also the cancer that ravages her body.
A quite brilliant powerful debut.

A beautifully written, powerful and deeply moving insight into the realities of being Black British. Written as a stream of consciousness, the prose is almost poetic but at the same time clinically incisive, peeling back each layer, laying it bare, comparing and analysing. Setting out the accumulated reasons for her decision.

"Come of age in the credit crunch. Be civil in a hostile environment. Step out into a world of Go Home vans. Go to Oxbridge, get an education, start a career. Do all the right things. Buy a flat. Buy art. Buy a sort of happiness. But above all, keep your head down. Keep quiet. And keep going."

We are lead to believe in meritocracy. This book lays bare the social and economic situation of rising above what others think we should. Veiled and direct hostility in both work and social situations. Is it because the protagonist is female or coloured. I could not decide and suspect a bit of both.
It makes for uncomfortable read and I must admit I did not finish the book but almost did. That is my failing not the author.

A short, sharp and extremely powerful novel that offers an unusual and immersive take on the everyday racism entrenched in British society. Natasha Brown has written an extremely assured debut that is both accessible and hard-hitting, and which stands to become regarded as an important work of contemporary literature in years to come.

The fragmented structure of the novel – just one of many plays on the title, Assembly – is one of the aspects I found most appealing: the vignettes are drawn with great clarity and insight, giving the reader a strong idea of what life is like for the narrator but never allowing us to get too close. At times I did find myself wanting more – as I think is always the case with a well-written book of this length – but on the whole I appreciated the fragmentary style and how in sum these short sections create an atmospheric whole.

The ideas and themes the book deals with may not be new, but ought to be discussed far more widely and through fresh, clear-cut voices such as this one. The unflinching prose style and multi-layered structure, which manages to pack in much more than the events of a day, makes readers take a long, hard look at themselves and strikes just the right emotional balance between resignation, outrage, bitterness and hurt. I found myself sympathising with the narrator immensely, understanding the choices she has made and how she feels about the system, her colleagues, friends and boyfriend – not to mention the fears she has for her sister (whose nebulous figure seems to stand for a younger generation as a whole). Brown has walked a narrow line between being reserved and intimate, withholding certain information but at the same time making us face up to truths we would perhaps rather not see, and the overall effect is very powerful – urgent, poetic, challenging and compelling. I look forward to seeing what this talented author writes next.

I first heard mention of this book from noneother than Ali Smith, in a recent book event she did, and WOW, I can see exactly why this novel has garnered so much positive attention. In only 100 pages, Natasha Brown offers a powerful and moving debut work that offers so much insight into the legacy of British Colonialism and what it means for Black British women today. The nameless narrator seems to be winning at life - in her job, love life and social life, yet a cancer diagnosis leaves these achievements feeling meaningless and empty. Told in a collection of beautifully written short passages, Natasha Brown's 'Assembly' coveys the levels of struggle that her narrator endures - from the subtle yet deep-rooted racism. the struggle of a chance diagnosis and also the more relatable struggle of appearing to have it all sorted whilst feeling dissatisfied and numb by typical forms of 'success'. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this - in one sitting, because I was so immersed - and I know it'll be a novel I come back to time and time again in years to come.

'My only tool of expression is the language of this place. Its bias and assumptions permeate all reason I could construct from it [...] How can I use such a language to examine the society it reinforces?'

As predicted, I've already mash up my #ReadCaribbean TBR lineup to say Happy Publication Day to Natasha Brown! The wording of the blurb suggests this would be yet another meet-the-white-parents trauma voyeurism narrative, the kind I normally avoid, which does ASSEMBLY a huge disservice. What Natasha Brown does here builds on the writing of Black women authors who preceed her, whilst still feeling fresh and perceptive. A friend describes this as 'vital and incendiary' and I'm compelled to agree.

Through her unnamed protagonist and narrator, Brown offers an incisive critique of "white privilege" and whiteness, one that doesn't attempt to pander to white audiences (amen!). It's sharp but cut through with moments of hilarity, particularly in Brown's character descriptions (everyone knows a Lou). ASSEMBLY is academic in intention but experimental in form, moving in vignettes between conventional narrative, verse and prose poetry. Although it's written in the first person, the narrative voice is often cool and detached, which is unusual, sometimes uncomfortable, but a relief. Brown's narrator is savvier than her "only Black girl" literary counterparts - there's no awkward discovery of Blackness here and she has an acute awareness of the transactional nature of her relationships. The narrator's boyfriend, his family and their country house function more a metaphor for the structures they uphold - 'the thumping nationalism of this place' - which allows her to adopt an almost sociological perspective at times, as though she is studying them.

Within the framework of a personal and introspective narrative, Brown lays bare the Institutional uprooting of the truth of colonialism and replacement with 'vague fairytales of benevolent imperial rule' that typifies the British education system; a national curriculum through which 'the erasure itself was erased' (word to Operation Legacy and you lot's national granny). Brown questions how we can even begin to examine the legacy of colonisation when the basic facts of its construction are STILL disputed by those who STILL benefit from it. The title, then, refers to the assembly of parts that make up a complete individual (reminiscent of Toni Morrison’s re-membering), but also to school assemblies, what knowledge is shared and what is obscured.

ASSEMBLY is a lyrical meditation/denunciation of Black Excellence™️ and the cycle of inherited Black struggle, perpetuated in part by notions of duty and debt, but also the (post)colonial structures within which we live. 'Come of age in the credit crunch. Be civil in a hostile environment. Step out into a world of Go Home vans. Go to Oxbridge, get an education, start a career. Do all the right things. Buy a flat. Buy art. Buy a sort of happiness. But above all, keep your head down. Keep quiet. And keep going.' How Brown's protagonist chooses to reclaim her power was for me the most interesting aspect of the story but also the part I can discuss the least without spoiling it massively! What I will say is that there's a line drawn between survival, complicity and narrative authority that I'm still thinking about.

I truly cannot believe this is a debut. What an amazing gift for words Natasha Brown has. The ability to keep the text succinct but at the same time imbue it with so much power for real impact really shows her amazing talent. Hard-hitting and incredibly perceptive, I loved it.

Assembly is a captivating, concise and beautifully written novella skilfully depicting an Oxbridge-educated black British woman's life and the trauma of being subjected to racism, both overt and covert, direct or indirect, over many years. The unnamed female protagonist and narrator works in finance, primarily an area that is very much male-dominated, and the book opens with her informing the reader about the sexism and sexual harassment an unnamed woman, possibly the narrator, encounters while at work. She has spent her life "climbing against the current: navigating the cut-throat world of investment banking, her boyfriend’s political ambitions and her best friend’s lean-in feminism.” She even questions why she works for a bank: "I understood what they were. Ruthless, efficient money machines with a byproduct of social mobility.” She realises while attending a garden party with her boyfriend that his is a world of white, old-money privilege and patriarchy and must decide if she's willing to assimilate to that life, to become what she's always despised, should he ask for her hand in marriage. "Until one day she is pulled up short by a life-and-death decision". She is told she is suffering from breast cancer. Then, over the course of 24 hours, "she considers the assembled pieces of herself.”

"Her mind darts across centuries, memories, snatches of conversation, and she begins to look hard at those who have spent their lives watching her". At just over 100 pages, this is a short but hard-hitting and provocative book exploring the legacy of the British empire and our colonial past, institutional racism, the white elite, patriarchal structures, oppression, sexism and everyday microaggressions. It shows the British our ugly reflection and the ingrained racism still happening in our multicultural societies. A visionary and unflinching debut novel set over a 24 hour period and lyrically written in vignettes in the stream of consciousness format, it is woven with an extraordinary ease, wit, daring, lightness of touch, unfaltering gaze and unshakeable integrity. Brown also explores whether a black person can ever transcend race and if there will ever be a time when egalitarianism comes alive, entrenched prejudice dies and minorities are treated as equals. Most importantly, Brown speaks the truth about our country; a truth many don't want to hear and dismiss without a second thought. Why? Because they're white and have no experience with the relentless hell of a racist land. A truly stunning, fearless novel. Highly recommended.

I loved this stream of consciousness style novel from our unarmed narrator and her live as a successful Black British woman and how she is treated within society.

Looking at class, education, colonialism and relationships our narrator shares her day to day experiences. One of the topics I found fascinating is the experience of our narrator considering medical interventions and choosing what she believes is the right action for her. It was great to see this so sensitively expressed in this story.

This book is definitely worth all the praise it is receiving.. Can't wait to read more from Natasha Brown

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC of the book.

With thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy!

A timely and sharply observed piece of writing! Brown's novella is quirky and plunges you straight into the midst of contemporary life and character mindset. She certainly doesn't pull any punches in the approach to storytelling which consistently remains fluid, pacy and engaging.

This short novel, [novella?], is a vignette of observation from start to end, told through the eyes of the black, British protagonist. she keenly notes the dichotomy between preparing for lavish parties in the English countryside, and the internal struggle of a young female mindset in the twenty-twenty era. Particularly within the white driven, patriarchal office culture of the capital.
Not only are we readers privy to her own internal dialogue over the course of a mere 24 hours, but also the thorough duality from Natasha Brown as she writes with equal insight about the structures and protocols of damaging impact that govern the world of the contemporary office. This equally persuades us to consider our own perspectives as we lead lives in this contemporary world.
Within the book there are drawn landscapes which explore race, gender and class. Brown is unafraid to question the foundations on which British office politics is built, and calls into the frame how women are treated - more specifically women of colour - within that space. Grappling with notions of wholeness and construction of the self, this is short, masterfully crafted, and packs a punch for its reader.
The prose is elegant, yet manages to paint visceral, domineering and at times shocking images further projecting the queries Brown is bringing to the forefront of her narrator's tale. Switching between discussion of preparation for her boyfriend's parents' gathering, and the reality of what she faces each day outside of the home.
Readers are provokingly left to ponder - is it too late for actual societal change? Do we know what we live in amongst - or is it only when we truly look internally that we realise the wider world's foils, deceptions and furthermore, the way we are left to feel living within it?
Short and sweet - this leaves you with affirmation and enigma in equal quantity. Top notch.
#netgalley #assembly #natashabrown

This is an amazing debut novel by Natasha Brown. It highlights powerfully how it feels to always feel 'other' no matter how hard you work, behave impeccably, buy the right things there is always a sense that you do not belong in the space you inhabit.

The narrator is a young black British woman living in London with a well paid banking job, newly promoted, she has assembled her life in what she feels is seen as 'successful' while always keeping her real feelings to herself, trying to 'assimilate' and make herself small and acceptable in what are seen as white spaces.

Although the novel is a short read it packs a powerful punch as it deals with race, class, freedom, capitalism, colonialism and whether it is time to take apart all that has been carefully assembled in order to take control even if it means risking her future.

Thanks to NetGalley and The Publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really couldn't connect with this book. The disjointed structure was very distracting and not very engaging for me. I found it unnecessarily confusing. While I felt the topics and themes being explored should have resonated with me, the, writing style made it less emotive then I think it could have been and the messages lost within literary fuss.

I think others will like this, but not too my taste.

A stream of consciousness about being a black woman in modern day Britain. The writing style was compelling, poetic and smart. I don't read many books with a non-linear narrative like this and sometimes I felt it teetered on essay writing more than fiction, yet the emotion was there to ensure the experiences cut through.

An interesting polemic about what it is to be a black woman in modern day Britain. I wasn't expecting it to be so short, so that took me by surprise. Well written, but it did jump about a bit, which was confusing at times.

Assembly by Natasha Brown

Wow, just WOW!!!

I've just finished reading this and I really don't know how to convey how brilliant it is - I'm stunned!

Beautiful poetic writing - brief but packs an absolute punch. I will be recommending it far and wide. Fantastic book - EVERYONE should read it NOW!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

I loved this fleeting little novel, with its short chapters and an unnamed narrator whose motivations are occasionally hard to grasp. All things I love; it reminded me of Rachel Cusk, Olivia Laing, and those sort of experimental novelists. We follow Assembly’s young Black female narrator into a workplace where she’s super successful but still overlooked, and into a relationship where there’s a power imbalance, but the real tragedy of the story is a health problem that she has complex feelings on, and which I didn’t fully understand.

This is an important book, it is elegantly written, intelligent and hits hard.

The unnamed narrator is a young British black woman. We follow her train of thought, which takes us on a roller coaster through the big issues of the day: class, race and gender are dealt with in the little episodes of her every-day encounters which, in a very personal way, highlight the hostile environment she finds herself in.

Her observations are sharp and cutting and come across almost like an out-of-body experience, like experienced by somebody else. This, I guess, is the only way how our narrator can live with her own complicity in all of it. She calls it ‘assimilation’, ‘dissolve yourself into the melting pot…work twice as hard…be twice as good…and always assimilate’. In her mind however she confronts these issues in an unflinching manner and is razor sharp in her judgment and analysis.

She is on her way to a garden party given by her well-off boyfriend’s well-off parents who live in rural middle England. The contrast between her own background and life experience and that of her hosts couldn’t be any starker. This clash of two worlds highlights how hard she has to try to be one of them in order to find acceptance in the world of the privileged; despite her best efforts to ‘assimilate’, she remains at the receiving end of their condescension.

Assembly, with its non-linear and fragmented narration does not read like a story with a conventional beginning or ending, it is more of a study into the ailments of our society. Personal and authentic without doubt, it is nevertheless closer to an investigation into the issues of class, race and gender than the kind of comfort read you might want to take to bed with you. If this doesn’t bother you, you’ll find this book not just interesting and engaging but truly remarkable.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Hamish Hamilton/Penguin Random House for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is an impressive debut that is (as I expected when I saw Bernardine Evaristo's praise for it) intelligent and challenging.
It has the stream of consciousness style of Girl , Woman, Other, although I didn't connect with the character in quite the same way. Perhaps the distance is fully intended though given the nameless narrator. I read it in just a few sittings as it's short like a novella, although it packs so much into that brief space. I loved the quality of the prose – sharp and jagged in style – that really adds to the observations and stark reality.
Assembly offers a real commentary on contemporary Britain in terms of race, class, and politics and I highly recommend it.