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Assembly (novel)

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Assembly
AuthorNatasha Brown
Audio read byPippa Bennett-Warner
LanguageEnglish
GenreLiterary fiction
PublisherHamish Hamilton (UK)
Little, Brown (US)
Publication date
3 June 2021 (UK)
14 September 2021 (US)
Publication placeUnited Kingdom
Media typePrint, ebook, audiobook
Pages105 pp
AwardsFoyles BotY—Fiction (2021)
Betty Trask Award (2022)
ISBN9780241515709
(1st ed.)
OCLC1201685227
823/.92
LC ClassPR6102.R69195 A92 2021

Assembly is a novel by British writer Natasha Brown published in 2021.[1][2][3]

Plot

[edit]

Assembly follows the internal reflections of a young, successful Black British woman as she prepares to attend a lavish garden party hosted by her white boyfriend's family. As she navigates the pressures of her professional life in a predominantly white corporate environment and reflects on societal expectations tied to race, class, and gender, she confronts existential questions about her identity and future. Her musings intensify as she grapples with a recent medical diagnosis, forcing her to reconsider what it means to "succeed" in a society built on systemic inequalities.

Release

[edit]

Brown developed Assembly after receiving a 2019 London Writers Award in the literary fiction category.[1] It was published in hardcover format in the UK through Hamish Hamilton on 3 June 2021; Penguin also released an ebook and audiobook dictated by Pippa Bennett-Warner.[4][5] Later she released it via Little, Brown and Company in the US on 14 September 2021, along with an ebook.[6]

Response

[edit]

The novel received acclaim. According to book review aggregator Book Marks, mainstream critics formed a "Rave" consensus upon its release, based on 14 independent editorials: eight that raved about the book's quality and six that were also positive. There were no neutral or negative reviews collected on the site.[7] It received starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews and Library Journal, as well as Shelf Awareness.[8][9][10] Critics in particular praised Natasha Brown's precision, thematic depth, and brevity; the style has been compared to that of Virginia Woolf.

The novel's economy of language is frequently mentioned as one of its strengths, with Brown's tight prose often being described as "precise" and "crisp."[11][12] Reviewers have pointed out that this minimalism gives the novel a sharpness that matches its thematic depth, allowing it to explore weighty topics without feeling overly didactic.[13]

The novel's writing style has also garnered admiration from some reviewers, particularly for its fragmented, stream-of-consciousness narrative. Critics have noted how this disjointed structure mirrors the protagonist's internal conflict, her emotional exhaustion, and the disorientation she feels as she navigates both her personal and professional life.[14] This technique has been likened to the introspective prose of Virginia Woolf,[15][16] with several reviewers comparing Assembly to Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway for its focus on the inner workings of a character's mind. The stream-of-consciousness style is seen as a bold yet effective choice, immersing readers into the protagonist's thoughts and making them feel the weight of her struggles.[15]

Another point of discussion is the novel's exploration of existential themes, particularly the protagonist's awareness of her own mortality.[17][18] As she reflects on her health and the pressures of conforming to societal expectations, the novel raises questions about personal agency, the value of success, and what it means to truly live.[18] Critics have described Assembly as a meditation on life's fleetingness and the limits imposed by systemic oppression.[19]

Literary Hub's Emily Temple compiled a comprehensive assessment of critic attitudes towards literature from 2021 calling it an "Ultimate Best Books of 2021 List"; she determined that altogether four mainstream magazines and outlets explicitly named the novel as a critical or important work on their own platforms' end-of-the-year lists.[20] These consisted of The Guardian's Top Fiction of 2021,[21] Publisher Weekly's Top 10 Books of 2021,[22] The Washington Post's 50 Notable Works of Fiction of 2021[23] and The Philadelphia Inquirer's Best Books of 2021.[24] It also made an appearance on The Atlantic's 20 Best Books of 2021.[25]

Literary awards

[edit]

It was shortlisted for the Books Are My Bag Readers' Award, Goldsmiths Prize, Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction, British Book Award for debut book, Orwell Prize for Political Fiction, and The Writers' Prize; it also won a Betty Trask Award.[26][27][28][29][30][31]

Year Award Category Result Ref
2021 Books Are My Bag Readers' Award Fiction Shortlisted [26]
Foyles Books of the Year Fiction Won
Goldsmiths Prize — Shortlisted [27]
Los Angeles Times Book Prize Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction Shortlisted [28]
2022 Betty Trask Prize and Awards Betty Trask Award Won [1]
British Book Award Début Book of the Year Shortlisted [29]
Desmond Elliott Prize — Longlisted [32]
Orwell Prize Political Fiction Shortlisted [30]
The Writers' Prize — Shortlisted

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c "Graphic novel wins at the 2022 Society of Authors' Awards". Society of Authors. 1 June 2022. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
  2. ^ Brown, Natasha (3 June 2021). Assembly (ebook ed.). London: Penguin Books. ISBN 9780241992678.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  3. ^ Brown, Natasha (3 June 2021). Assembly (audiobook ed.). London: Penguin Books. ISBN 9780241993347.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  4. ^ Brown, Natasha (3 June 2021). Assembly (ebook ed.). London: Penguin Books. ISBN 9780241992678.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  5. ^ Brown, Natasha (3 June 2021). Assembly (audiobook ed.). London: Penguin Books. ISBN 9780241993347.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  6. ^ Brown, Natasha (14 September 2021). Assembly (ebook US ed.). Little, Brown. ISBN 9780316268462.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  7. ^ "Book Marks reviews of Assembly by Natasha Brown". Book Marks. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  8. ^ "Assembly". Kirkus Reviews. 17 August 2021. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  9. ^ "Assembly". Library Journal. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  10. ^ "Shelf Awareness for Readers for Friday, September 17, 2021". Shelf Awareness. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  11. ^ "Briefly Noted". The New Yorker. 4 October 2021. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  12. ^ "Assembly Natasha Brown". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  13. ^ "Lit Hub's Most Anticipated Books of 2021, Part Two". Literary Hub. 6 July 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  14. ^ Biggs, Joanna (15 July 2021). "Pure, Fucking Profit". London Review of Books. Vol. 43, no. 14. ISSN 0260-9592. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  15. ^ a b Williams, Holly (31 May 2021). "Assembly by Natasha Brown review – the grind of everyday prejudice". The Guardian. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  16. ^ Garber, Megan (8 October 2021). "The Great Novel of the Internet Was Published in 1925". The Atlantic. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  17. ^ "Lit Hub's Most Anticipated Books of 2021, Part Two". Literary Hub. 6 July 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  18. ^ a b Assembly, by By Natasha Brown. | Booklist Online.
  19. ^ Williams, Holly (31 May 2021). "Assembly by Natasha Brown review – the grind of everyday prejudice". The Guardian. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  20. ^ Temple, Emily (27 December 2021). "The Ultimate Best Books of 2021 List". Literary Hub. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  21. ^ Jordan, Justine (4 December 2021). "Best fiction of 2021". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  22. ^ "Best Books 2021: Publishers Weekly Publishers Weekly". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  23. ^ "50 Notable Works of Fiction of 2021". The Washington Post. 18 November 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  24. ^ Rapa, Patrick (4 December 2021). "The best books of 2021, to gift or read yourself". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  25. ^ "The 20 Best Books of 2021". The Atlantic. 22 December 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  26. ^ a b "Books Are My Bag Readers Awards 2021 shortlist". Booksellers. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  27. ^ a b "2021 Prize". Goldsmiths, University of London. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  28. ^ a b "History » Book Prizes » Festival of Books". Festival of Books. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
  29. ^ a b "British Book Awards 2022 shortlist is in, and these are the novels to read next". The Independent. 25 March 2022. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
  30. ^ a b "The Orwell Prizes 2022: The Finalists | The Orwell Foundation". www.orwellfoundation.com. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  31. ^ "Graphic novel wins at the 2022 Society of Authors' Awards". Society of Authors. 1 June 2022. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
  32. ^ "Introducing the Desmond Elliott Prize longlist 2022". National Centre for Writing | NCW. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
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