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 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

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Natasha Brown is a British novelist. Her debut novel Assembly was shortlisted for awards including the Folio Prize, the Goldsmiths Prize and the Orwell Prize for Fiction. Natasha was named one of Granta's Best of Young British Novelists in 2023 and one of the Observer's Best Debut Novelists in 2021.