Assembly seems to be everywhere these days. So as you might gather, I had high hopes for this novella. The narrator is a young black British woman, who on paper seems to have it all: a successful career, an interesting life, a potentially upcoming engagement. But Assembly isn’t a fairytale. It deals with racism, micro aggression, being stereotyped and never fitting in. At its core, is the question of assimilation. Can a black woman be successful in a corporate world, dominated by white males? Can she find acceptance in her partners old-money, privileged family and still stay true to who she is?
The narrator has been compared to one of the characters in Bernardine Evaristo’s prize winning Girl, Woman, Other. I see the similarity, at least on the surface. But whereas Girl, Woman, Other is filled with hope and optimism, Assembly is quite the opposite. Devoid of any hope.
The story is written in a stream-of consciousness style, using an extremely fragmentary format. If I’d read this a couple of years ago, I might have shaken my head and rolled my eyes. However, it seems my reading taste has changed and I could actually see, even appreciate, what the author was trying to achieve. Sometimes, it did feel a bit over top and I got annoyed by certain paragraphs, which were almost incomprehensible.
Assembly has been praised widely and I can see why. It’s smart, clever and touches upon a wide range of issues ingrained in Britain today. Also, it made me think. I work in the same part of the corporate world as the narrator does and while parts of the unflattering portrait of this world felt familiar, there were many things I didn’t recognise. Perhaps, I’ve been lucky. Reading the book made me wish I had a colleague with similar background as the narrator, so I could get a better understanding of what it’s like in real life. But despite of my large network, I actually don’t know any black people in the sector. Maybe that says it all, really.
There is no plot, just a stream of thoughts over 1-2 days in the narrator’s life. A modern Mrs Dalloway with very dark undertones. There is strong conclusion though, which can be interpreted on a concrete as well as a metaphorical level.
When the book ended, rather abruptly, I didn’t feel satisfied. Possibly, because it was too short and only touched the surface of a the complex themes? Or perhaps, I just didn’t buy into the central conclusion.
Ultimately, Assembly failed to engage me. It’s written in a detached style, which suits the narrative perfectly, but doesn’t match my personal taste. Still, there is no doubt, this is an interesting and remarkable debut. 3 1/2 stars.
Title: Assembly Author: Natasha Brown Format: eBook Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Great review. Sounds interesting but knowing my taste in books, it would probably be one that I would struggle with. That’s not to say that I won’t give it a go at some point but I don’t think I’ll rush.
Yeah, to be honest, it didn’t live up to all the hype, but I still found it interesting. I can imagine it appeals to a certain type of reader.
Yes, sometimes hype can be a tool that lessens rather than heightens the experience, can’t it? You liked Piranesi didn’t you? I’ve seen someone else give it a good review but I read some of Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell and then had to abandon it as I felt like it was too much hard work for too little reward. I have been reluctant to revisit Susanna Clarke as I was sure Strange/Norrell would be brilliant and it was dense and unexciting.
Exactly, too much hype just raises expectations. I really enjoyed Piranesi, much more than expected, since I’m not a big fantasy reader. Unfortunately, I haven’t tried Strange/Norrell, so I can’t really compare. I know Piranesi is a lot shorter, so if you can get it from the library, it might be worth a try.
You know, I might. I do like to form my own opinions about books after all. You’ve persuaded me (although it wasn’t that hard!). I’ll give it a go.
I think you should, but perhaps get it from the library? I have heard of people, who don’t get on with it at all.
No, I shan’t rush either. I’m a stranger to the corporate world, and the negatives in your review seem to outweigh the positives.
To be fair, her experience of the corporate world is only a part of the story. This part appealed to me, because I know the author is drawing on her own experiences. However, at least to me, this book couldn’t live up to all the hype.
Ah! Your review is enthralling as always.
Thanks, that is kind of you to say!
Your reviews are always comprehensive. I’ll pass on this book. Not the sort of thing I like.
Thanks. Yes, I do think this book appeals to a specific audience and not everyone will enjoy it.
I love to connect with at least one character and with a detached writing style that won’t happen so I’m passing too for this one. Thank you for pointing out so clearly what you felt about this novel, great review
I am the same, I like to be able to connect with the characters. Here I think one of the points of the story is, that the narrator is disconnected and distanced and doesn’t feel like part of “us”, so the detached style is very suitable. I always say my favourite books appeal to the head as well as the heart. This one had plenty of food for thought, but didn’t engage me emotionally. Thanks Inge!
I’ve wondered about this one and I’m pleased I decided to let it pass. I’m intrigued though, and wonder what this writer might do next. I also wonder if short novels will become increasing commonplace.
I have wondered about short novels as well, there seem to be quite a lot of them being published at the moment. It’s great, when it works. It does take some skill to write a rounded and fulfilling story in relatively few pages. Unfortunately, I don’t think the author quite succeeded with this one.
I wonder if it’s a “you either connect with the stream of consciousness or not” type of deal. Sorry that it didn’t give you more bang for your buck but it was definitely interesting to hear your thoughts on it! Thanks for sharing! 😀
Yes, I am sure not everyone gets along with the stream of consciousness style of writing. However, I loved Mrs Dalloway, even if the writing was more complicated than the writing in Assembly. So I guess that wasn’t the only reason, it didn’t quite hit home for me. Thanks Lashaan!
Ahhh…first book but didn’t live up to your expectations, and one that you actually bought 🙁 I think, for a novel to be well-rounded on issues that you discussed above, it would probably work better were it longer to give it more depth. I don’t know,…just a thought. Really appreciate your thoughts on this one, stargazer. I always love an honest review!
Yeah, I think you are right. I might have enjoyed it more, if it had been longer. I felt it ended too abruptly and was left with a feeling of “what then?”. But it did make me think a lot, so if that was the purpose, I suppose it was successful.