A review by bookswithhan
Assembly by Natasha Brown

challenging emotional reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I wasn't sure what to expect when I delved into this book. It was one I'd seen floating around on here and so I snatched it up in the half price sale to deal with my FOMO.

Assembly is beautifully written as a fractured narrative. The story jumps between different parts of a black woman's life; one part being where she is getting ready for her white boyfriend's family party and her daily life of work. This is interspersed with the revelation that the woman has cancer that she is seemingly trying to avoid and put to one side. She begins to question the cost of her ascending career alongside a life with a white man whilst dealing with a cancer diagnosis. 

The writing, whilst beautiful, is angry and impactful and delivers a profound indictment of racism and classicism in Britain. Natasha Brown makes clear and raw observations of society through the woman's eyes that is done so with such majestic poetry. 

This book may be short in length but is extremely rich and deep.
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