Universality

LONGLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE 2025


From the author of Assembly - A SPECTATOR, BBC AND DAZED BOOK OF THE YEAR

An instant classic.ELLE
Utterly phenomenal.ELIZABETH DAY
Smart, twisty and original.DAVID NICHOLLS
A sharp, clever take on contemporary culture.DAILY MAIL
In a class of her own.FINANCIAL TIMES

On an abandoned Yorkshire farm, a group of hippie-anarchists have taken up residence to build a new society. When their leader is brutally bludgeoned with a solid gold bar, an ambitious young journalist sets out to uncover the truth behind the attack. The longread exposé she writes goes viral - but is there more to the story than meets the eye?

Universality unravels the messy aftermath of that exposé through the perspective of each of the mysterys key players: a self-pitying banker, a columnist with secrets, a cult leader with dreams, and a fugitive with nothing left to lose.

The follow-up to Natasha Browns Assembly is a twisty, slippery story of media, class, power and truth. Cutting through the noise, it reveals British society today for what it is.

A searing, state-of-the-nation novel.STYLIST
Confirms Natasha Brown as a major talent.OBSERVER
A brilliant, unusual social x-ray of modern Britain.ANDREW OHAGAN
It is impossible to not get utterly sucked in. JENNY MUSTARD
One of the most intelligent voices writing today.GUARDIAN
Original, vital, and unputdownable.TESS GUNTY
Brown is an astute political observer, easily dismembering cancel culture and our media circus.NEW STATESMAN