‘The evolution of modern British literature as it lives and breathes belongs to Derek Owusu . . . With this novel, Owusu doubles down on everything that makes his fiction so exemplary. There are passages that took my breath away. The world, the dialect, the ideas, are all glaringly fresh and true’
COURTTIA NEWLAND         

‘Borderline Fiction marks Derek Owusu as one of the most exciting literary voices in UK fiction right now. His breathtaking prose is brim full of originality and raw, pure, gutsy talent’
CHRISTIE WATSON         

‘Derek Owusu is one of one. In Borderline Fiction, the dexterity of Owusu’s pen and distinctive literary vision is on full display and I was completely transfixed. This book is phenomenal; a marker in the progression of British literature’
JENDELLA BENSON         

‘What makes Borderline Fiction so impactful and original is its fearlessness and reality. There is no simplifying or watering down of pain, heartbreak, or the consequences of some of our greatest mistakes. Instead, Derek Owusu’s latest novel asks us to sit with these experiences and emotions, to observe and immerse ourselves in them as our protagonists do, so that we’re not left with a meditation on love or family, or history and identity, but a real empathy for what it means to be vulnerable that is profound and powerful, in the hands of a writer whose every word holds purpose’
ORE AGBAJE-WILLIAMS         

‘A raw and deeply moving intimate portrait of a young man battling both love and his own mind. A novel brimming with such youthful yearning and pulsating with thrilling sensuality. This story will shred your heart into a thousand pieces. Written in masterful, inventive prose and a voice so resonant, this book breaks new ground on how we write and talk about mental health - it nuances a complex subject and approaches it with so much tenderness. Owusu is a force and this novel confirms that he is one of the best British writers’
TROY ONYANGO         

‘Derek Owusu is, with some ease, one of Britain’s most exciting and intriguing literary talents. Unpredictable, emotionally profound and ever advanced with his language, Derek brings aggressively fresh ideas to our pages and screens. The man is a bottomless pool of creative brilliance and emotional intelligence’
NELS ABBEY         

‘This is the immersive ride through the black, male and working class London I know albeit with a twist. At times I didn’t know what was real and what was imagined, yet although the narrator may be unreliable, the writing you can bet your house on. Each sentence sings, this is the novel I’ve been waiting years to read’
SYMEON BROWN         

Praise for Derek Owusu: 

‘Masterful . . . [Losing the Plot] is a reflection of a son attempting to embrace the entirety of his mother – all her vulnerability, spikiness and unknowability’
MICHAEL DONKOR, i         

‘Owusu is one of the most original writers today’
STEFAN TOBLER         

‘A love letter – sometimes dense, often moving – written by a son to his mother’
Guardian         

‘Losing the Plot is a timeless piece, crafted and written with immense emotion and exquisite detail’
Bad Form

‘A highly enigmatic, affectionate and robustly written portrayal of a mother-son relationship . . . very relatable’
DIANA EVANS