I could see people loving or hating Universality, Natasha Brown's follow up to her excellent debut, Assembly, but I think I land in the middle. The short novel begins with a long, fictional article that is followed by sections about the article's writer, Hannah; one of its subjects, Richard; and another subject and more successful journalist, Lenny, and this structure, and how the characters are connected, work well. Through these perspectives, Universality becomes a story about capitalism and class, identity politics, media and language, and how people position and defend themselves, with a strong focus on how these intersect in modern Britain.

Ultimately a sharp social critique, Brown is shrewd and captures her characters' viewpoints and personalities clearly and quickly; I could hear and picture them immediately. On one hand, I wouldn't necessarily want to spend more time with these characters; on the other, it felt like it didn't quite gel in its limited pages (under 200). It could lean didactic instead of digging into the ideas more deeply and fully developing the characters and plot.

While I like the structure of this novel--divided into four parts with different characters--I almost wish it were longer, so the characters' connections could be more fleshed out. My favorite section was the first, but I think some of that is due to the fact that Brown (shrewdly) writes about culture wars and anti-woke writers with an accuracy that made me cringe. It's a short read, and fast-paced, so I would recommend it for anyone interested in the topic of capitalism and identity politics.

The key to this book, for me, was the very interesting characters. First, there was Rodgers who thought so highly of himself and his vision of making a small fortune. Definitely painted the picture of the man who lived a life as the playboy in London but kept the family sequestered and away. He invests in a farm in Yorkshire clearly imagining himself as the Lord of the Manor. He invites Jake to the farm as a kind of caretaker but without setting guidelines. Along with Jake comes a group of radical anarchists, led by a character named Pegasus. Setting up a commune, the group kicks him out of the group for his lackadaisical ways. Being the non-responsible young man he is, Jake bludgeons Pegasus with a gold bar that Rodgers just left laying around. The novel ties together all of these characters and more. I found the plot hard to follow at times, but the characters really held my interest.

Natasha browns anticipated follow-up to assembly is a short but heavy take on modern Britain. On the surface, this seems like a mystery/thriller-someone is bludgeoned to death with a gold bar in Yorkshire and a journalist tires to discover the truth. However, the expose reveals far more about power, corrupt, and wealth in current Britain. Part thriller/part surrealism/part social critique-brown does manage it all. I think the reader does need to come into this expecting the book to be a bit more high brow than the synopsis would have the reader believe. This is recommended for readers who aren’t scared of a little bit of experimentation in their reading or who like social commentaries in their fiction!

Thanks to the publisher for providing the arc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I am a fan of Natasha Brown's writing, She did a wonderful job with each characters development. She unravels things and realizes nothing is as it seems. An amazing take on human perspective. It's thought provoking with twist and turns. Wonderfully interconnected short stories that kept me engaged. Shedding light on social class and socio-economic problems. I could relate even though it is set in Europe and I am American.


Thank you NetGalley and Ran House for this amazing ARC read.

A really interesting commentary on current British media, politics, racism, sexism, class, and society. I found the structure of the book to be one of the things I enjoyed most. After the opening exposé article, each chapter was from a different perspective of the characters in the article that opens the book.

Brown did a fantastic job of portraying each character in a way that made me (kind of) want to try to understand their perspectives, even if they’re completely un-relatable. By kind of, I didn’t feel like “ugh, this character again? skip.” There were moments that felt a bit too accurate, but it made me want to read even more. So much happened in so few pages—it is going to take me a while to fully process!

Ultimately I think it did a fab job of showcasing the conservative media in the UK and how individuals can victimize themselves, even if they’re the most privileged.

Brown is an incredible writer and I’m really excited to read Assembly.

Thank you so much to Random House and NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you Netgalley & Random House for an eARC ❤️

Fresh from devouring Natasha Brown's stunning debut Assembly, I dove headfirst into Universality😍. Imagine a book that's equal parts thriller, philosophical treatise, and sociological critique – with a dash of surrealism thrown in for good measure. Welcome to Universality, a novel that will blow your mind, warp your reality, and leave you questioning everything.🤪
The story starts with a brutal attack on a Yorkshire farm, but quickly spirals into a labyrinthine exploration of power, corruption, and deceit. Our protagonist, a fearless journalist, navigates this treacherous landscape with grit and determination, but the truth she uncovers is far more sinister than she ever imagined.
As she digs deeper, she realizes that nothing is as it seems. The lines between reality and fiction are blurred, and the very fabric of truth is torn apart. It's like trying to solve a puzzle with missing pieces – the more you learn, the more questions you have.
What sets Universality apart is its unflinching intellectual curiosity. The author tackles some of the biggest questions of our time – the nature of truth, the power of language, and the fragility of human perception. But don't worry, this isn't some dry, academic treatise. ♥️
The writing is razor-sharp, with a wit and humor that's both entertaining and unsettling. The author's use of language is masterful, weaving together a complex narrative that's both thought-provoking and deeply disturbing.
If you're looking for a book that will challenge your assumptions, blow your mind, and leave you feeling like you've been put through a wringer, then Universality is the book for you. 🤩
Be warned, though: once you start down this rabbit hole, there's no turning back. Universality will haunt you, taunt you, and leave you questioning everything you thought you knew about the world.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for an ARC of this thrilling novel.

Wow, I am such a fan of Natasha Brown. I greatly enjoyed her previous debut ASSEMBLY, but I think this one is better, even more powerful and compelling. This is the best novel I've read in 2025 so far. This experimental novel-in-stories has so much going on in just under 200 pages, it's frankly brilliant what Brown is able to accomplish with brevity. A work about privilege, journalism, provocation, and, ultimately, victimhood. Try and go into this kind of blind, as the discovery of what Brown is doing here is incredibly satisfying.

This novel comes out March 4, I highly recommend checking it out.

Wow, this leaves you with a lot to think on. A thrilling story about dark secrets of the rich with immersive writing and storytelling. Big fan of this author and the way she utilizes storytelling.

Universality by Natasha Brown is uniquely structured and thought-provoking, but it ultimately feels like it skims the surface of its big ideas rather than fully diving in. A news article reports on a near-deadly rave incident— a young man beaten with a gold bar (the symbolism!). As different POVs unfold—the journalist, the bar’s wealthy owner, a right-wing columnist—the “truth” unravels, leaving the reader to piece it together. Intriguing in concept but lacking depth, it’s an interesting but somewhat unsatisfying read.

This was a really unique, tightly wound novella that featured a unique spin as it gives multiple perspectives on the featured incident. I loved this aspect and the timely plot concerning the dangers of capitalism, which kept me reading until the end.

Had this been a full length novel I fear might not have enjoyed it, but as novella I think I loved it. The structure of the article followed by vignettes of the characters lives it impacted really worked for me, and I especially loved the writing. The way the characters were fully realized, with specificity, even in such brief scenes, was fantastic. The tackling of heavy topics this way was very thought provoking, and the shorter length keeping it from getting too heavy handed, and actually allowing for a lot of nuance. loved it, will definitely read more from this author.

Although Universality, the second novel from award-winning British novelist Natasha Brown, is set in England, its socio-political subject matter reads like current events in the United States.

Comprised of five interconnected short stories, Universality opens with the longest, “A Fool’s Gold,” which fills approximately a third of the book. Written as a long investigative article published in the prominent (though fictional) Alazon magazine, June 17, 2021, the article consists of a series of interviews with people connected to a rave held on a Yorkshire farm in violation of the Covid-19 lockdown. One man had been brutally bashed on the head with a gold bar belonging to the absentee owner and disappearing after the attack. Among those interviewed by the writer are the banker owner (Richard Spencer) and his wife, the former owners, several members of an agricultural commune called the Universalists squatting on the farm (including the attack victim), a radical conservative journalist, (Miriam “Lenny”Leonard), who had secured permission from Richard Spencer for the eventual attacker (Jake) to live there temporarily, and Jake, himself. Each interviewee adds a piece to the story, answering some of the investigative reporter’s questions but raising several new ones.

The remaining four stories flesh out the book, shedding light on the major characters and further bringing out socio-economic divisions in contemporary British society. In the second story, ”Edmonton,” readers learn the identity of the young freelance journalist whose newfound but fleeting fame allows her to reconnect with former university friends from a higher social class. One of them, Martin Bass now a prominent critic, has already been chosen to interview Lenny Leonard at a cultural festival—this testy interview taking center state in the final chapter, “Show time.” The two intervening stories, “Weybridge” and “Cartmel,” flesh out the characters Richard Spencer and Lenny Leonard.

The author examines socio-economic issues including class structure, class prejudices, and hiring based on what we in the U.S. call diversity, equity, and inclusion—an issue that brings Lenny into conflict with investment banker Richard Spencer and critic Martin Bass. Yet there is more to Universality than this. Brown’s choice of several writers as characters enables her to stress the manipulative power of words, something that comes out most clearly in Lenny Leonard’s conservative writing and in her word war with critic Martin Bass in the closing chapter. Brown is also interested in the fine dividing line between fiction and journalism, especially in today’s social media world. At times, she will make close readers laugh as they pick up on small comments that others may miss. Even more often she will make readers think about the ambiguity or complexity of truth.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for an advance reader egalley of Natasha Brown’s timely and highly recommended new novel.

A topical novel that starts with a piece of long form journalism and then moves into chaos as individuals referenced in the piece have their say. It's an interesting conceit. This was just long enough to keep me engaged without getting annoyed. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. For fans of experimental literary fiction.

A novella that couldn't be more current, UNIVERSALITY by Natasha Brown is a scathing look at our crumbling world economy, terrible rich people, and British "anti-woke" "journalists." The book starts with a full longform article about a new age cult and a gold bar that goes missing after it's used in an assault on the group leader. We then change POVs into first person accounts from different people featured in the article and the author. It's an interesting take with a Rashomon vibe, it seems like Brown is pulling things straight from British headlines in an often depressing way. It's a one-sit read, but will keep you entertaining and the ending is a riot. Brown is a fantastic writer and I want to read her first book now too!

Universality by Natasha Brown opens with a long-form article about an illegal rave, an assault, Covid, and wealth. If I read this in a magazine, I would enjoy it. It's interesting. The farm, the rich man, the gold bar.

THEN, the rest of the vignettes break off an exploration and expansion of the characters within that article. As the story progressed, I couldn't help but feel like the writer was just saying words to sound smart, but really come down to nothing. I don't know if maybe these are based on real people and real situations, so maybe I'm not tuned in enough on UK media and personalities.

It's a short read, but I think it could have been interesting if the article had ended the book. The build-up and the reward. Starting with the best part left everything else middling.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review.

If this didn't feel so much like I was reading present-day news, I probably would've enjoyed it more. It doesn't help that the first third is literally a journalistic exposé.

Universality is Natasha Brown's second novel, coming after her overwhelmingly successful debut, Assembly, published in 2021. The book is divided into parts: a journal article in the first third followed by perspectives of key characters (the journalist herself as well as the banker and alt-right pundit referenced in the article). The reader's perspective is introduced to new ways of viewing the story at each turn, not dissimilar to Hernan Diaz's award-winning novel, Trust .

The story begins with the assault of a commune leader by a member of his group. The weapon is a solid gold bar worth nearly half a million pounds, owned by a wealthy banker who is also the owner of the property where the group is squatting—an ironic choice for an anti-capitalist community claiming that action, not money, is ownership. Next, we visit the perspective of the article's author. After a long dry spell, she gets a lucky break printing the piece and is able to buy a home with the advance from a movie inspired by it. She invites her friends to a dinner party to celebrate, where the years since they met in college, have only widened the gap in their incomes and relationships. Finally, we follow the right-wing, "anti-woke" pundit who has gained legitimacy from the article and enjoys book deals and interviews due to the attention.

The conversation throughout the book reflects the current state of racist rhetoric ranging from alt-right, "anti-woke" talking heads to liberal science-forward eugenics. The social dynamics between the journalist and her friends were particularly interesting and perhaps the novel's strongest contribution. Both more and less overt racism are peppered throughout, crossing all political persuasions. (More overt being the "anti-woke" rhetoric, and less overt being talk of crime rates and eugenics—but ultimately, racism is racism, regardless of how insidious.)

I keep waffling on my rating for this book, because, despite how relevant the topics, I was left wondering whether anything novel was offered? The first half of the book was the strongest with its subtle social analysis, but the second half fell flat. Some have pointed out that the alt-right author became a sort-of flat caricature, but I think the bigger problem was that it didn't really seem to say much in this section of the novel. The ending itself wasn't particularly punchy. The style of presentation—a story decomposed in perspectives—makes this hard to pull off. My recommendation, of course, is to read it and decide for yourself whether the writing was effective.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc of this novel!

What a delicious little book. With a biting, verging on satirical, eye and voice, Brown explores class, race, and who wields the truth and the stories we tell. Though we start with an assault via gold bar on a dark night, what follows is a look into the truth beyond what we read in the newspapers. I never really knew where the story was going and loved the opportunity to see the story shift and move through different perspectives. I wouldn't necessarily call any of the themes in this short novel subtle, but there is a wry humor behind the absurdity of these characters that I really enjoyed. Brown, as was demonstrated in Assembly, does a fantastic job at getting directly to the heart of a certain type of (white, lower to upper middle class) person in contemporary England.

I can see why this wouldn't work for some people, but I just love Brown's writing and wit and storytelling. I don't want to say too much, because I believe it's best to go into this book a little unaware of what's to unfold.

Obviously, I highly recommend. For the people that this is for, I think you're going to love it.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the eARC.

Late one night on a Yorkshire farm, in the midst of an illegal rave, a young man is nearly bludgeoned to death with a solid gold bar.
An ambitious young journalist sets out to uncover the truth surrounding the attack, connecting the dots between an amoral banker landlord, an iconoclastic columnist, and a radical anarchist movement that has taken up residence on the farm.

I found this book to be both very thought provoking and timely. After the initial scenario (see above) is laid out, subsequent chapters are told from the POV of the main characters. I found my views on many of these characters shifting. Opportunity is a concept that each character seeks, but it may come with a price.
"We should be curious about the people who wield power in our lives.. And we should have visibility into who these people are and what they're up to.", Remember—words are your weapons, they’re your tools, your currency.

My first but NOT the last book I'll read by Natasha Brown.

Universality is one of the buzziest books of 2025, following on the heels of Brown's buzzy 2021 release, Assembly. The premise is exciting: a news article chronicles a late-night rave that almost becomes deadly, with a young man beaten close to death with a gold bar (the symbolism!). Brown then deconstructs the narrative given to us by the article, introducing the POVs of different people close to the events, including the article's author, a wealthy man who owned the gold bar, and a brash right-wing columnist. The truth begins to fall apart, leaving you the reader to question whose version of the events is true. It's Trust by way of Birnam Wood, set in modern-day England.

This is one of those books that you're going to either love or really dislike. For me, it unfortunately fell in the latter category. I think Brown is brilliant and she has a lot of really smart ideas that she is exploring here. But I wish she had given herself more space to explore them. A lot of the book felt surface-level and a bit obvious; lots of telling rather than showing. It felt like a book I've read many times before.