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LONGLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE 2025

From the author of Assembly – THE MUST-READ NOVEL OF 2025 in the GUARDIAN, SUNDAY TIMES, GQ, ELLE, OBSERVER, INDEPENDENT, RADIO TIMES, BBC, HARPER’S BAZAAR, and GOOD HOUSEKEEPING

‘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 expose she writes goes viral – but is there more to the story than meets the eye?

Universality unravels the messy aftermath of that expose through the perspective of each of the mystery’s 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 Brown’s 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 O’HAGAN
‘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