A man is clobbered with a gold bar at an illegal rave at a farm during the covid lock down. He may be a cult leader, the cult, excuse me, anarchist group, may be squatting on the property, and the owner (rich banker guy) wants his gold bar back. What a kick off.

Universality contains five sections, and the longest, "A Fool's Gold" is framed as a magazine article detailing the assault, profiling the rich guy, and exploring the "Universalists".

Other sections give us more perspective on the article's provenance and its author, the fallout with the rich guy, and a controversial columnist who seems to influence the proceedings (not to mention thoughts and opinions).

Very talky, very heady. Interesting threads from the first section remained loose - Pegasus, the cult leader, and the Universalists could have filled a whole book. The dry delivery of the article highlighted the group's ineptitude (they weren't arrested for growing cannabis because "police determined that the cannabis plants at the farm did not meet the 0.3 percent THC threshold to be legally classified as marijuana"). Hilarious stuff.

My thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the digital ARC. (pub date 3/4/2025)

Universality is everything and more of what I expected from Natasha Brown’s second novel. After brilliant debut Assembly, Brown ventures deeper into complicated and maybe even uncomfortable subjects, dissecting our current cultural and political landscapes. We start with a long journalistic piece about an incident surrounding a violent attack involving members of a squatters commune and a gold bar. We get introduced to an interesting cast of characters with a lot of questionable views, beliefs and backgrounds. Then we get several povs, including the author of the article and suddenly we find ourselves in unreliable narrator territory. It’s a fascinating shift as we might want to try to understand different character’s perspectives but ultimately discover their flaws, lies and motifs and it can be really uncomfortable at times. Universality is a book about classism, late stage capitalism, current media and the sneaky but also more obvious shift to right-wing politics and mindsets. Some of these subjects are quite obvious and pointed at with some sarcasm and irony and a lot of eyeroll-worthy moments. Others are much more subtle, between the lines, which is what I particularly find admirable in Natasha Brown’s writing. The book points fingers as some types of figures we know from media and politics but it also gently points some fingers at ourselves and our complicity with the absurd things happening around us and in our middle class (or middle class aspiring) surroundings.
Once again, Natasha Brown is here to blow our minds and I am looking forward to the legend she will become with writing this sharp and brilliant.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the eARC!

Universality was an excellent read! A really great exploration of class, cancel culture, and journalistic integrity. I liked the structure and found it so interesting.

Universality was not my first experience reading Natasha Brown, and I'm glad that was the case because she really plays with how she puts the narrative on the page. Some readers may find that off-putting but I think her writing is worth it. In a surprisingly short amount of pages, Brown lays out the death of a rave participant and the journalistic investigation into that death. Giving us clips of "articles" and bringing in different perspectives, Brown explores themes of capitalism, political identity, and the complicated world we live in. Universality will leave you thinking about it long after you're done, even if you're not sure you fully understood it or agree with it.

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. Unquote!

The opening "chapter", if you will, is very long but I was interested in the story of how "Pegasus" came close to death after being bludgeoned with a gold bar. The book itself consists of a series of short stories, all interconnected, and supposedly "focuses in on what we say, how we say it, and what we really mean". Unfortunately I don't think I'm the right reader for this book. I don't feel that I understood what it was all about and was left scratching my head. I really enjoyed "Assembly" by this author and this one is also well written but just not for me. There are many excellent 4- and 5-star reviews you should check out if you're deciding whether to read this.

My thanks to Random House Publishing, via Netgalley, for offering me the opportunity to read an advance copy of this novella. All opinions expressed are my own.
Publication Date: March 4, 2025

Natasha Brown once again succeeds in producing a large story in such few pages. Universality initially masquerades as a mystery, reinforcing the overall message that Brown demands that readers pay attention. What initially catches a reader's attention with a genre approach, it seamlessly seeps into something more macro about the personal responsibility and duty to be culturally conscious as a citizen of the world. Sometimes the characters feel like they can be heavy handed in the messaging, but perhaps that's also the point being that people need to be explicitly told versus reading between the lines. Another powerful novel by Brown, although my preference remains with her previous Assembly.

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.