Assembly

Read in one sitting, couldn't stop listening to this debut novel. Short but to the point - history, tradition, prejudice, affairs of the heart, living, rebels, illness, survival its all there in this short book. Conjured up detailed scenes, sounds, smells and emotions. Beautiful writing and narration, I didn't want it to end, thank you #NetGalley for the audiobook.

This is an intriguing novella, although I can't help but feel that it's all too aware of being literary fiction, crushing itself under the weight of its own cynicism and ennui. I sympathised with the narrator, but at the same time, she didn't feel anywhere near real to me. Early on in the story (so this is hardly a spoiler) she learns she is facing death by metastatic cancer. She then spends most of the novella deciding whether to forgo treatment and allow the cancer to kill her, in order to escape her current lifestyle; apparently, simply leaving her banking job in pursuit of a more fulfilling career didn't occur to her.

The novella is beautifully written, with memorable turns of phrase and plenty to say on modern society, and for this, it's just about worth four stars.

(With thanks to Penguin and NetGalley for this audiobook in exchange for an honest review)

This is a great but short audiobook. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to it and found myself becoming quite engaged.

In Assembly, a Black British woman gets ready to spend the weekend attending a party on her boyfriend's countryside family estate. While there she considers her cancer diagnosis, her future, and identity.

Considering the audiobook is only two hours long, Brown manages to pack a lot of discussion into this slim novella. There are so many incredibly articulated points about what it means to be a Black woman in both the corporate world and in Britain, with some powerful examples of casual workplace racism and opposition towards 'diversity schemes, as well as the extra steps Black people have to take to be taken seriously. I can see why Brown has been compared to Jenny Offill and Raven Leilani - this novella is blunt and powerful, taking no prisoners.

But having said that, I wish the plot had been given more time - or rather, that there was a plot at all, or at least one that isn't summed up in a sentence. I completely get that the narrator's cancer is a device to discuss wider themes, but the narrator does come across as a bit too flat in the face of her diagnosis for me, and nothing much really happens in this book at all. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, and I know its style will be popular with a lot of people, I just wish the other story had more substance.

For a debut novel this is absolutely a job well done, and I think Leilani fans will love it - I'm just not sure it was for me. I'd definitely be interested to pick up her next book still though - her literary voice is really something.

3.5 stars for me

**Listened to audio book**

I struggled with the writing style at first, as the book just seemed to jump from scene to scene with no real links. I was starting to think maybe it was supposed to be verse/poetry?!
But the more the book went on, the more I got used to the style and the short snappy scenes made more of an impact.

This book doesn't have an overriding narrative, but it's more like short diary entries explaining how our central character has been betrayed. When I say betrayed I mean betrayed by society. Scenes showing racism, capitalism, sexism etc. As a white female, hearing some of the stories regarding race was definitely shocking. The 'casual racism' seems to surround our central character. I could relate more to the sexist comments and the money conversations - but all of these things struck a chord with me, even if I haven't personally been victim of them.

The narrator was good, and made the book easy to follow - and I think you would get more out of this book as audio read than just reading the psychical book. Think the audio narrator makes it seem more personal and real.

I enjoyed this book, but did struggle at times with the writing style - it makes some important points about how we live and this is the reason I stuck with it.

When was the last time a book punched you in the gut? Well, Assembly is about to be the next one.

This is a short novel, but an impactful one–a day-in-the-life narrative of a Black British woman, ascending the professional ladder and going to meet her white boyfriend in the Home Counties for a party at his family’s home. It’s a simple narrative, with a powerful narrator exploring the deep implications of life in the capital as a Black woman, especially with her recent promotion attracting significant attention from the “affirmative action is reverse racism” crowd.

This might not be the book for you if you like a lot of plot in your novels, but honestly, I’d encourage you to try it out anyway. It’s only 100 pages, with sparse yet powerful language and biting social commentary. Its comparison to Mrs Dalloway is an easy one, though its comparison to Get Out is a more frustrating one–publishing industry! Stop comparing books to Get Out if the only thing they have in common is a scene of a Black person attending a party!

Assembly is one of the first must-read debuts I’ve come across in a long time, and essential reading for anyone who wants to understand more about racism in the UK–and especially how it intersects with sexism.

Thank you to Penguin Random House/Hamish Hamilton and NetGalley for the review copy.

Listened in one sitting, couldn't stop listening to this debut novel. Short but to the point - around 2hrs long. Recommend ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House UK Audio for an advance reader copy.

I really enjoyed the content of this book, I thought it was really deep interesting concerning being a woman and a woman of colour. Although, I was slightly let down by the writing style of this book being quite vague and abstract there were a few occasions where I found myself confused and wondering if I'd missed something because I couldn't quite comprehend the goings on, hence the 3 star rating.