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.

An anarchist group takes up residence on an unoccupied farm that was purchased by a wealthy man as a retreat for when society breaks down. The police arrived to break up their party only to discover a body and a missing bar of gold.

The group preached Universality, a place where all were welcome. A young journalist writes an article about the incident, bringing momentary fame. Another woman writes a book preaching ‘no mo’ woke’, reflecting the zeitgeist of the times, believing that white men ae the victims of ‘woke capitalism.’

This British novel captures the shift from the activism of Occupy Wall Street and Black Lives Matter to the veering away from race as an issue, with another movement calling itself universality. The writer of No Mo Woke says she only writes “what we’re all thinking,” claiming her ideas universally relatable.

Our world was chaotic. Even the so-called experts and their supercomputers couldn’t predict the trajectory of a bouncing pinball. from Universality by Natasha Brown

The characters discuss big issues. Are we “sleepwalking into idiocy”? Should job applicant’s DNA be tested to determine their suitability for jobs? Is “class the new race”? Is it immoral to be a billionaire?

Original, a short read dense with ideas, and a universally relatable commentary on contemporary society.

Thanks to the publisher for a free book through NetGalley.

Universality is extremely well-written and cleverly structured. It always shows and never tells. It's a satire of class and the culture wars in Britain, filled with cynical, self-regarding characters; everyone in the book is using the other characters in one way or another and there doesn't seem to be a genuine emotional connection in the book. It reminds me a little of the early, nasty satires of Evelyn Waugh and Aldous Huxley. The story centers on a long piece of journalism that opens the book, but we later find out a good bit of that article is perhaps untrue as the characters plot and scheme against each other.

It's worth reading; Brown is a talented writer and the book leaves you with much to think about, but don't expect to find much emotional engagement.

This is probably a very good book but for other people, I'm sorry to say it put me to sleep. I was glad it wasn't longer. I loved Assembly so maybe it's just a mood. I won't post this review elsewhere until I have a chance to read the novel again with more patience.

Natasha Brown is an author who writes in a manner that makes me sit up and say “THIS is literary fiction.”

Which is a polarizing thought as this book’s first portion is written in the form of an investigative article.

The basis of Universality is huddled around a gold bar. It’s a crutch and weighty character that unfurls amongst a destitute journalist with aspirations of living earnestly in the world with her work.

Its pronounced sharp corners attract the attention of a cynical columnist. A cunning woman, with her ear dialed into sensational dog whistle politics she uses to fine tune to her ravenous audience.

A bootstraps raised banker, the owner of the illustrious bar. Who seemingly has given little thought to the chaos his symbol of success has wrought about the lives of others. Until its golden hues have dimmed his own reputation.

All of this culminating with an anarchist “hippie” commune.

Brown packs a hefty message of capitalism and the power of rhetoric into her pages despite the short length. I’m always so impressed by the creation of her sentences. She’s a compelling author I’m always eager to read.

Thank you to Random House for this arc!

I loved this - it was really engaging. In style it reminded me quite a lot of Devil House by John Darnielle.

Wow! I am a Natasha Brown fan, but I didn’t expect to love Universality as much as I did. It was a mind-bender in the best possible way. Natasha Brown’s writing is sharp, thought-provoking, and immersive. Universality is a beautifully written story of identity, connection, and human experience. The way she weaves complex ideas into such a gripping narrative is impressive.
I was hooked from the first page, and the depth of the characters and their stories stayed with me long after I finished. This is one of those rare books that makes you think and see the world a little differently. If you love books that challenge your perspective while keeping you hooked from start to finish, this is a must-read.
Thank you to Random House and Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I had been highly anticipating the release of "Universality" (out March 4) since the moment it was announced - Natasha Brown being an exciting British novelist whose debut novel Assembly made waves when it was released in 2021. With this newest offering, Brown has cemented her reputation as an author with lots to say about class and privilege in a taut package - an impressive feat when you consider the slimness of both novels. This novella storms out of the gate at breakneck speed with an excerpted feature about an illegal lockdown-era rave gone awry when someone is knocked unconscious with an £800,000 brick of gold. After the opening section of the book the reader learns about the primary players involved in the story and its aftermath - Hannah (the budding journalist), Richard (the banker and farm landlord), Miriam “Lenny” Leonard (the scheming influencer and cultural architect), Jake (the accused), and Pegasus & India (members of the Universalists eco-collective). If you enjoyed other books about (somewhat misguided) climate activist groups (I'm thinking Creation Lake or Birnam Wood) this could be for you. Unfortunately the pace of the expository stories that follow the initial report never quite matched up to the excitement I felt when I read that opening section, though Universality may benefit from multiple reads knowing what is later revealed. The writing is sharp and witty throughout but something just didn't land in the execution. Many thanks to Random House and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Universality is out March 4, 2025.

after reading and loving ASSEMBLY by natasha brown, i was so excited to give UNIVERSALITY a read. it's a witty book, there are a lot of ideas packed into such a small amount of pages. unfortunately it felt as though few of those ideas were developed further than the they could and should have been. so many of the interesting parts of the first half of the book fell away in the second. unfortunately this was a book that said so much about capitalism, class, identity politics, anti-immigrant rhetoric, and the british public's shallow desire for a return to the "good old days", and yet it also barely said anything at all. unfortunately this did not have the staying power ASSEMBLY had for me.

Natasha Brown has hit her stride. She is a master at saying a lot and using a little. This, her second novel, while not as slim as her first, packs more dynamite on each page that other books that work at the same subjects and take at least twice the length to do so.

Hard to put down once you pick it up! There's an air of consequence that maintains throughout the book. Highly recommend.

Natasha Brown’s second novel is an immensely smart and original look at the lifespan of a news story. The novel revolves around the story of a man who is bludgeoned with a gold bar during an illegal rave held on a Yorkshire farm during COVID lockdown. A struggling journalist, Hannah, sees the story as an opportunity to further her career. Hannah solves the mystery of what happened that night and the subsequent story goes viral. In the aftermath, we see the shockwaves of the piece in the lives of its subjects: Richard, the investment banker who owns the farm, Lenny, the reactionary journalist who hires Hannah to write the story, Jake, the perpetrator of the attack, and his hippy commune brethren. As Hannah’s piece is metabolized by audiences, the ulterior motivations and class interests of all involved are revealed. Brown’s novel looks at how our consumption and politicization of viral stories is all in service of a cynical media landscape that creates and exploits a culture war to generate revenue. The fates of these characters hinges on their ability to successfully navigate this cannibalistic environment.

This is an oddly interesting book as it begins with a brutal beating with a gold bar worth millions. Then the focus shifts to Lenny, the journalist/interviewer who tells us the story of this family and their exploits. Initially I slogged through it but became invested as it deals with cancel culture, right wing politics, and greed. Lots of dark humor that's always appreciated!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

This is a really original format to the book that I haven't seen before. It starts out with a journalistic "article" that tells the story of the gold bar (contemplating COVID restrictions, class struggles, and cults - lots there!). For people that are fans of podcasts, it immediately pulls you in.

After the "article" though it pivots to the actual people engaged in that article; the journalist, the finance guy, and Lenny. Lenny is one of the most interesting characters to come along in a while. It was so compelling to get the thoughts behind someone like her. Each of the characters were actually more engaging than you expect from the "article". There is way more back story there and everyone has their own motivation which really impacts how you perceive the original "article".

It is also interesting to see the same right/left conflicts take place in the UK. I understand this is happening everywhere (UK, Germany, etc.) but as Americans, we don't usually get a deep dive into them. I am fascinated by all of that, especially what drives people's thinking in this day and age. It is even worse when you overlay the media dynamics, which this touched on as well.