This book may be small, but its punch and bite are incredible. Starting with the fact that it is well written and has a unique layout, this book leads you down the path of its main character, who isn't named, of the life she lives. The connection to the reader is intriguing and reminds me of "Rebecca" by Daphne Du Maurier! x As you weave through this novel, you see the multiple problems, but the most accurate representation of feelings in these uncomfortable situations and what you sometimes have to do to get through them. This is the type of book that brings about change and shines a light on the unfortunate truths of our society. This is a masterpiece all on its own and can totally see why it made so many shortlists! x

A striking literary debut. Natasha Brown is undoubtedly a name we shall hear more from in the future. On this evidence, she is likely to be a role model for writers everywhere. Assembly is truly essential reading that transports you to a world of beautiful writing. It’s mesmerising. Nothing is a choice. Nothing is a choice. Nothing is a choice. Written as a first-person narrative, this is a novella (I read it in 2 hours flat) that would grace any bookshelf. Eye-opening and perceptive, confronting and brutally honest, this story doesn’t pull any punches. We follow our protagonist, an English-born woman of Jamaican heritage, as she navigates and ponders the treadmill of life, work, relationships, and health issues. Themes include racism and equality, discrimination, women in business, alpha males, the glass ceiling, and an underbelly exposé of the English class system. It is a tale that captures the struggles, frustrations and helplessness of everyday life. Yet even when one has striven against all odds, true contentment remains exasperatingly beyond reach. Therein lies its strength. It’s an instantly recognisable and emotionally intense story that will remain with you long after the final page is turned.

Hats off to the Waterstones Islington assistant who recommended this to me, it’s amazing. I read it in one - and then started it again. Beautifully and cleverly written, and a very powerful evocation of the insidious eating away of a sense of self at even the well-meaning end of what is fundamentally still a racist society, with its never-ending micro- and macro- aggressions. Good fiction can give us a glimpse of what it is like to stand in someone else’s shoes, and this book feels like a knife slowly twisting away in your heart until it is utterly broken. Unforgettable.

Natasha Brown captured my attention from the very first line. I found myself feeling very close to our main character whose inner monologue seemed to me like dissociation as a coping mechanism which made the story even more powerful. The indignation I felt towards the supporting characters through the pages hit me quite unexpectedly as I didn’t know much about the book before reading it, but I stand by those feelings.Through Assembly, Natasha Brown gave a fictive voice to a very real issue. Its importance is undeniable - and its impact must not be underestimated.

This is an intense, confronting and undeniably necessary exploration of racism, sexism, abuse and classism. In short staggered prose, Brown has managed to paint a vivid and bold picture of the reality faced by so many - a reality that can not be escaped, it dictates every action, reaction and thought. This is a reality that I can never experience or even begin to understand but, I felt it. I opened this book and did not close it until I had finished it. If you want to read something that is not only original and exquisitely written, but also a means to educate, reflect, relate and create change within yourself... then this is it. I think Ali Smith said it best, "the kind of book that doesn't just mark the moment things change, but also makes that change possible".