Description

‘What you are about to read is a call to arms. Best to prepare for a confrontation.’ New York Times Book Review

‘A hard-hitting masterpiece. I devoured it.’ Kristen Arnett, author of WITH TEETH

‘A madcap story you won’t want to put down’ Rachel Yoder, author of NIGHTBITCH

Damani is tired. Every day she cares for her mum, drives ride shares to pay the bills and is angry at a world that promised her more before spitting her out. The city is alive with protests, fighting for people like her, but Damani can barely afford – literally – to pay attention.

That is until the summer she meets Jolene and life opens up. Jolene seems like she could be the perfect girlfriend – attentive, attractive, an ally – and their chemistry is undeniable. Jolene’s done the reading, she goes to every protest, she has all the right answers. So maybe Damani can look past the one thing that’s holding her back: Jolene is rich. And not only rich, but white, too. But just as their romance intensifies, just as Damani learns to trust, Jolene does something unforgivable, setting off a truly explosive chain of events.

Brimming with heart, humour, and rage, Your Driver Is Waiting is a powerful, blackly funny social satire that announces the arrival of a fearless new voice.

Publisher Review

The novel's greatest strength - a ferocity of voice that belongs to Guns alone... What you are about to read is a call to arms. Best to prepare for a confrontation. * New York Times Book Review * Funny, angry, beautifully written and a compulsive page-turner, I devoured it. * Daily Mail * A ferocious new voice. A fierce and immersive debut. A story that made me rock back and forth with awe. Priya Guns's voice blazes on the page with humour, heart, and a fortitude that is inspiring to behold. There's no doubt who's in the driver's seat. I was just grateful to be along for the ride. * Weike Wang, author of JOAN IS OKAY and CHEMISTRY * A compelling character study with an electrifying ending, Your Driver is Waiting offers a potent social critique overflowing with love, despair, passion, and rage. Priya Guns brings to the page a voice infused with both bravado and vulnerability in this madcap story you won't want to put down. * Rachel Yoder, author of Nightbitch * Your Driver Is Waiting is a perfect gut punch of a novel. This is my favorite kind of writing, full of love and real friendship and frustrations boiled over and the urge to burn everything down. Priya Guns is phenomenal here, her writing is laser-focused and hilarious and full of aching need. This is a hard-hitting masterpiece. I devoured it. * Kristen Arnett, author of WITH TEETH and MOSTLY DEAD THINGS * In powerful and unrelenting prose, Priya Guns's Your Driver is Waiting has accomplished a nearly impossible feat: scathing social commentary about the inequalities of modern day America in a propulsive, funny and tender story about love, community and loss. Damani is an unforgettable heroine that now lives rent-free in my heart. Welcome her into yours. * Cleyvis Natera, author of Neruda on the Park * Your Driver Is Waiting captures something vital about our contemporary moment, about the millions of lives spent on the margins. It's deft enough to navigate questions of class, precarity, race and economic displacement, while managing to be so full of hope, full of fight, full of heart. * Keiran Goddard, author of Hourglass * Your Driver Is Waiting is so real it's scary... Guns expertly exposes the palpable dangers of 'well-meaning' white folks and calls into question who, if anyone, is to be held accountable for the growing ills of modern society. However, she also shows us that a brighter world isn't in our rear-view, but right in front of us, so long as we choose to drive on. You'll want to take this ride. * Mateo Askaripour, New York Times bestselling author of Black Buck * Guns' sharp and bonkers debut reimagines Taxi Driver for the Uber era... plenty of rich commentary on gig work, race, and white privilege. This has plenty of bite. * Publishers Weekly * From page one, this novel had its hands around my neck. A voice that is somehow simultaneously fearless and intensely vulnerable. The only thing slicker than her narrator's driving is Guns's ability to deliver sharp social commentary that will make you unsure of whether you want to laugh or cry. Your Driver Is Waiting is an unhinged joyride - whether you buckle up or not, you're sure to be gripping the edge of your seat. * Jean Kyoung Frazier, author of PIZZA GIRL * A biting and uproarious take on the gig economy, capitalism, and race, this is the kind of book you read in one sitting. * Buzzfeed * It's simply impossible to put this book down. * Barnes & Noble most buzzed about debuts 2023 * Fierce and dynamic... Guns's debut immediately marks her as a writer to watch for years to come. * Chicago Review of Books * A retelling of the movie Taxi Driver featuring a ride-share driver? An incredible premise for a novel that explores work, class, and solidarity (or the lack thereof). * The Millions * A crackling social commentary on the social justice movements of our time, the gig economy, performative wokeness and who gets to speak on behalf of the disadvantaged. It's a fast-paced read that begs to be devoured. * Good Housekeeping * As fresh as fiction comes... brash and brilliantly inventive... Honest, fiery and fearless, Your Driver is Waiting is a whip-smart, wild ride of a novel. * Love Reading * A gripping social satire... A fast-paced pageturner sure to keep you hooked until the very last word. * Diva Magazine * A remarkable piece of writing... A fast-paced narrative with bite and, above all, Damani - smart, funny, brave and feral - a character not soon forgotten. * Toronto Star *