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A review by introvertsbookclub
Assembly by Natasha Brown
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.5
I am always so impressed by writers who can so precisely and vividly portray real life and everyday moments. Whose writing feels so natural and familiar. This is an astonishingly good book.
It is also a shocking read – in the way it is written, direct, unflinching and uncovering the hidden abuse and trauma lurking within British society; and in the plot itself. Despite that, there was something comforting in the protagonist’s nihilism, it gave permission to similar feelings of despair in the face of modern reincarnations of violence.
The novel was the perfect blend of personal and political, in that it showed that the two can never be separated. Each moment was informed by centuries of racism and colonialism; it was a story of the history of racism enacted on one body and the ways that person is trapped within racism and made complicit through their attempt to survive the system. It was complex and critical and an incredible pick for Black History Month.
It is also a shocking read – in the way it is written, direct, unflinching and uncovering the hidden abuse and trauma lurking within British society; and in the plot itself. Despite that, there was something comforting in the protagonist’s nihilism, it gave permission to similar feelings of despair in the face of modern reincarnations of violence.
The novel was the perfect blend of personal and political, in that it showed that the two can never be separated. Each moment was informed by centuries of racism and colonialism; it was a story of the history of racism enacted on one body and the ways that person is trapped within racism and made complicit through their attempt to survive the system. It was complex and critical and an incredible pick for Black History Month.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Racial slurs