Smart, insightful, at times hilarious, not to mention ambitiously plotted, The Grand Scheme of Things is a smartly executed novel filled with discussions and critiques of the West End Theatre industry, as well as British society as a whole. Highlighting the unspoken (and nearly as often spoken) prejudice against immigrants and various minority groups, Warona Jay’s debut novel is filled with strong social commentary and feels entirely relevant and shines a spotlight on the unfairness based on one’s upbringing and background. Despite its premise and at times cutting observations, this novel has much more to offer with its story. It’s also a story of young adults discovering their self-worth, confidence, and realizing their own identities. And that is on top of the elaborate web of deception Neledi/Eddie and Hugo spin, and all of the intentional and unintentional effects it has on everyone and everything around them.

Admittedly contemporary fiction novels that have multicultural or ethnic themes are not usually my go-to genre, particularly those that include harsh criticisms (sometimes at the cost of the reading experience or characters). However, I feel like the The Grand Scheme of Things is perfectly pitched and has a nice mix of humor, nuance, and balance of perspectives and opinions to avoid spiraling into an emotionally-charged rage novel. A great deal of consideration clearly went into each included theme and when paired with Jay’s sophisticated yet accessible tone, the overall experience was satisfying and impressive. I’ve seen some other reviewers mention the vague similarities to R.F. Kuang’s Yellowface, but the direction Jay takes the story and the heavy references to British culture and politics makes this comparison moot and unnecessary. While certainly not required to enjoy or appreciate the novel, there is a good amount of British political/cultural references that enhances the read, not to mention the signature lowkey sarcastic British style of humor that I personally love.

On the obvious theme of perceived identity, the novel does a wonderful job of exploring not only the prejudice that comes with one's background, but also the complexity of the topic. Words can be interpreted at face value or as being ethnically charged, intentional or unintentional, well-meaning or a back-handed compliment; you can never really know. The fact that such a lengthy internal dialogue over a single sentence comment only stresses how touchy of an issue this is, an area that the novel hits home perfectly. There are multiple occasions where as a white, privileged, wealthy man, Hugo is uncertain what to do or say to not be perceived as insulting or demeaning. Sometimes there isn’t a right thing to say no matter one's intentions and I loved the way Jay highlighted and explored that concept. There’s also the debate whether success is attributed due to the novelty of being different or being pigeonholed into a certain role and expectation because of it. Or as a playwright of color, its assumed Eddie will write plays about Black character experiences due to her background (despite being raised in Britain) vs questions raised should she write about other ethnic or white experiences. These are all great points of discussion with no clear answers or solutions, but I appreciated the tone and thoughtful manner the novel explores these topics.

One of the biggest contributing factors to why I enjoyed this novel so much was largely due to its wonderfully balanced and flawed characters. I should’ve expected it given the way the book’s synopsis is structured to highlight both characters individually, but I was pleasantly surprised by how evenly the story was split between Eddie and Hugo. While Eddie’s playwriting aspirations are clearly the plot’s primary focus, I did not expect for Hugo to also have a compelling character journey. Eddie is portrayed as being confident in who she is, has largely accepted her perceived “uniqueness” for better or for worse, and has clear goals and direction in life. Hugo on the other hand is perfect foil for Eddie being viewed as conventionally attractive and marketable, popular and wealthy, but lost in both his professional and romantic life. While Eddie is passionate, emotional, but honest with her feelings, Hugo is instead presentable, golden retriever like, but emotionally distant and disconnected with what he wants. In a story involving societal and racial prejudice, it's easy to demonize characters like Hugo for having everything Eddie doesn’t have, but I found the level of restraint and exploration of their differences to be very impressive. At times it even feels like Jay purposely portrays Hugo in a more flattering light when inevitable miscommunication and conflicts occur, though certain open-ended aspects of the book’s conclusion may swing the balance back towards Eddie at the end. The two characters also have wonderful chemistry and found it incredibly refreshing that the book purposely did not go down a romantic route with those two that would’ve felt overdone and distracting. One of my favorite parts of the book was their initial random meeting and how the two characters perceived the situation and each other so differently. The way each character was able to provide the support and encouragement each other needed when no one else in their lives could I thought was both heartwarming and very well executed.

Another area that I thought the novel excelled in was its portrayal of the struggling artist and how taxing the journey can be. Eddie’s reactions to her early rejections, setbacks, conflicted jealousy of others succeeding, it felt spot on. Despite the obvious signs that their plan of deception will be a success, the book does a great job of portraying the hopelessness and despair of being unable to break into a heavily contested and gate-kept industry. And by switching between Eddie and Hugo’s perspectives, the unbalance is even starker to look at, enhanced by Jay’s fantastic writing and dialogue for talent agent Helen.

While I felt the plot and characters were the book’s best elements, there were a few notable points that held this back from being a perfect read for me. While the plot is well-done and the book packs a ton of content into a sub 300 page book, I felt the story had a noticeably slow start due to a heavy focus on Eddie’s strained family relationships and connection to Botswana at the beginning. While this is crucial context relating to Eddie’s identity and motives in her life, the exposition felt a bit heavy and detracted my interest in the book’s playwriting premise; I would’ve preferred this context more spaced out rather than all up front at once. There is also a major turning point mid-way through the story involving Eddie’s relationship with her girlfriend Blue that felt a bit jarring and awkward. As the plot progressed, this development started to make more sense and I acknowledge its purpose within the context of the overall narrative. However, its execution left a bit to be desired and essentially painted Eddie as the villain to her own story (which may or may not have been an intentional choice given the overall trajectory of the story). While I found the book’s conclusion to be largely satisfying (thankfully avoiding an out of character happily ever after or a complete Shakespearean tragedy that would be unpleasant to read), one of the open-ended aspects involving Hugo felt at odds with the chapters from his perspective immediately preceding it. While there was a recurring trend of miscommunication involving Hugo’s romantic developments and morals, it felt like there was a sense of resolution upon Nahid’s ending with Eddie. The way the last chapter from Eddie’s perspective tosses that out the window felt a bit unnecessary or could’ve been better set-up as opposed to happening off-screen/page during the multi-year time jump. And that’s an unfortunate negative mark on what I consider an otherwise excellent conclusion to an explosive and ambitious plot.

Despite some mild reservations and nitpicks in places, I was thoroughly impressed The Grand Scheme of Things. Not only was Warona Jay able to catch and keep my attention with themes and plot elements I ordinarily wouldn't have found interesting, she was able to carefully and thoughtfully balance the prejudice and injustice immigrant and minority groups face on a daily basis. I thought this was a wonderful and smart debut novel!

WOW. What a fun read this was, I couldn't put it down. A lot of books are being compared to Yellowface with any somewhat similar plot (if you haven't read Yellowface, do it!), but I do think this is an apt comparison. The story follows Naledi Moruakgomo, who goes by Eddie as she tries to break into the very white, very male industry of playwriting in modern day UK. When she meets Hugo at a cafe and they form a friendship, they hatch a plan to have him submit it under his name, after she is rejected over and over. What happens next is quite the ride, and I found this book so propulsive. There was never a dull moment!

An impressive plot, strong lead characters and good writing. But something didn’t click for me and it never quite hooked me. Maybe just not the right season for me to read it.

I enjoyed being on the sidelines of the people we meet in this interesting and topical
modern day version of subtle and at the same time, over the top unintentional OR
not, discrimination directed towards a young woman and her attempt to have her
play successfully marketed.
The plan, which started out as a ‘simple secret,’ took on a life of its own that, by
the time hearts have broken, relationships destroyed and careers cracked, the
deception became more important that the societal issues that became the
ruination of many.
This is a powerful debut novel from the talented Warona Jay. It is a privilege to
have been able to read this book.
My thanks to Atria Books via NetGalley for the ARC and download of this book for
review purposes.

Not what I thought it would be. An interesting premise but not the book for me. It might appeal to other readers.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

WOW. Is all I can really say. This book dealt with themes of worthiness, confidence, self-expression, etc. I enjoyed reading this book and I saw myself in this book as well. Many kudos to the author for tackling such "uncomfortable" themes with grace and humor. I really recommend reading this book! 4.5/5 stars

This novel doesn’t just entertain; it ignites conversation on the complexities of identity, ambition, and the price of authenticity in a world obsessed with appearances. A brilliantly crafted narrative that will leave you questioning the very nature of success and friendship.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ Eddie is sure that her play is brilliant, but that it has been rejected due to racism and prejudice in the theatre world. A chance meeting with Hugo starts a con in which they pass him off as the author and it does phenomenally well. They struggle with when to come clean about the true playwright.

The book makes reference to JK Rowling and how her name was changed so that boys would read Harry Potter. It made me think- what would have happened if she published under her actual name, Joanne Rowling? I can’t help but wonder.

But this situation is really different, the play is about the immigrant experience, so an immigrant would be really marketable as the playwright. I really appreciate the premise of this book, in execution it was a bit lacking. It was extremely British. Ultimately I found the conclusion unsatisfying, but it is a good story.

Thanks to @netgalley and @atriabooks for the ARC. Book to be published February 25, 2025.

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