THE DEBUT NOVEL THATLL STEAL YOUR HEART SHORTLISTED FOR THE WATERSTONES DEBUT FICTION PRIZE 2024So beautiful ... Simply, it must be read LISA TADDEOThis feels like reading an Oscar-winning film AISLING BEAHeart-shatteringly visceral and precise WIZ WHARTONCompulsive, engrossing, and gorgeous ... Read it now STEPHANIE SCOTT Mei loses her Japanese mother at age six.

Growing up in suburban Surrey, she yearns to fit in, suppressing not only her heritage but her growing desire for her best friend Fran. Yuki leaves the Japanese countryside to pursue her dream of becoming a concert violinist in London. Far from home and in an unfamiliar city, she finds herself caught up in the charms of her older teacher.

Haruka attempts to navigate Tokyos nightlife and all of its many vices, working as a hostess in the citys sex district. She grieves a mother who hid so many secrets from her, until finally one of those secrets comes to light . .

. Shifting between three intertwining narratives, Mongrel reveals a tangled web of desire, isolation, belonging and ultimately, hope. 5 Star Reader Reviews: Utterly captivating | Achingly real | Moving and unforgettable | Stunning yet heartbreaking | Devastating, powerful | Easily one of the best books Ive ever read