I think I expected a book more like 'Penance', which is my own fault, and so I didn't quite know what to do with this. It's an exploration of perspectives, highlighting Brown's dextrous grasp of character and voice, moving between a long article, an agonising dinner scene, a reflection of a man on the brink, and an awkward literary festival, each showing new facets of the central characters. I didn't feel as blown away by this one, simply because it didn't feel like it surprised me: the characters were awful in ways I expected. Maybe that's a testament to their honesty, but it didn't blow me away. I can see why readers adored this, though, and I flew through it. A robust, pocket-sized story.

I really enjoyed this book and it's characters and felt it used the theft of a gold bar as an interesting starting point.

Thank you netgalley for giving me opportunity to read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of this title.

A very compelling read, really highlighting that everything is open to interpretation.

At an old unused farm a gold bar is used to assault a climate activist and then stolen by the man squatting at said farm. Through different viewpoints we come to understand how one event is interpreted uniquely by each person affected, examining how the truth is subjective and misleading.

I really enjoyed getting the story from different POV's, thinking you have an idea of what is going on and then completely re evaluating what you think about the characters.

Definitely recommend as a short but thought provoking read. Don't believe everything you hear or read online!

A biting satire of society told through multiple narrators, all dissatisfied with their lot. Lenny is the most enjoyable as she is single minded and wicked. I wanted to know more about Jake and the gold ingot but maybe I was missing the point. It was a quick, quite compelling and rather clever read.

This was a really interesting political snapshot told by multiple unreliable narrators. The untangling of these narrations, first through the laying of groundwork in the article, followed by individual perspectives that point out the flaws, embellishments or downright fabrications within the article show just how flexible and slippery the "truth" can be.

It does get very political and heavy on the right-wing, anti-woke front which is obviously intentionally satirical, but it becomes denser to read. Nevertheless, it's a short work and definitely worth having a read.

A book that left me wanting MORE to be honest.

Brown offered a perfect narration of political polarity in the UK today. The book touched on an abundance of topics that give rise to fruitful debates - from veganism (or freeganism), racism, capitalism, classism, immigration, and so forth.

The format of the book was very unique. In the first half, we read a young female journalist's exposé of sorts, detailing how a man has been bludgeoned with a gold bar during a party on a farm during the COVID lockdown. The second half of the book details how the journalist's life has changed somewhat following its publication AND the lives of those involved.

Overall, it was a fun and interesting read. I thoroughly enjoyed Brown's writing style and will be reading Assembly soon. I just wish we had a few more chapters.

I really enjoyed this book. It had some fresh takes on important and relevant issues, and the layout of the narrative was completely different, but kept me really engaged. I loved the way Brown explained things and took the time to develop each storyline - but without it feeling like it was dragging on. The only downside for me was that there were a few characters whose stories felt like they were left hanging or unfinished. It made me wish I could’ve seen a bit more from them.

A wonderful investigation into the power of language and what it is to write. Sleek, sharp, and effective.

Universality is a biting novel exploring the world of journalism, popular thought, and power through very different lenses. A young journalist writes an exposé after a man is bludgeoned with a gold bar at an illegal party on a farm, and her viral piece changes not just her life, but those of others involved, including a middle-aged columnist.

The book unfolds in distinct sections: firstly, and perhaps most notably, it features the fictional long read article about the situation with the gold bar and the people involved; then, a chapter following the article's writer as she holds a dinner party for her friends from university, and then other perspectives, ending with the columnist who gave the journalist the tip in the first place, as her incendiary career is revitalised and she is appearing at a literary festival. Due to this structure, it is quite disjointed and isn't structured as one story, but instead more like interlinking snippets that must be read in conjunction. This is clever, and they're all carefully written, but it does mean that you don't really get much from any individual character's story, as it is more about ideas and the satire of class and wealth and what people say.

I loved Brown's debut Assembly and I think that Universality is a wry piece of literary fiction that tries to shine a light on the current state of the British media, as depressing as that is. I loved how the first section was just a long article, and I like the idea of using the rest of the novel to present what sits underneath a viral article, but I didn't find the later parts as effective for me personally because they had to be more like snippets with character types rather than narratives that came together.

I loved this. It was an intense but intriguing read. I will definitely be picking up more of Natasha’s work!

What an absolutely brilliant way to prove yourself as more than a one hit wonder. Universality gave me everything I felt was missing from Natasha Brown's debut, and more.

It is a bitingly British takedown of every inch of the political quadrant, and a truly insightful look into the part that journalists play in the shaping of our national psyche. Every character gives you reason to hate them, yet you find yourself reasoning with them on every page.

Lenny, the right-wing columnist who is paid handsomely by the word for decrying affirmative action and the woke agenda, is deliciously wicked, and the joy in her character lies in the inability to ever truly understand her motivations.

In short, Universality shines like gold.

Universality strives towards something it doesn't quite reach. There are many very clever ideas and insights about wealth, class, racism and the state of the world but these are often written as dialogues which fall into long polemics bogging down the narrative.
I enjoyed the first third of the book but I think that readers may find the three very distinct parts of the novel feel quite disjointed and that the characters are unlikable and unsympathetic. There's no doubt that Natasha Brown is a very talented writer and I would be interested to read her previous novel after hearing its praise.
My thanks to the Faber and Netgalley for an advance review copy.

A short but punchy novel of an unusual crime and the quirky cast of characters caught up in its orbit. Though her latest didn’t grip me like Assembly did, it’s impossible to deny Brown’s talent and wit. Best to read in one or two sittings to really get into the swing of the story. I enjoyed the ‘long read’ article style of the novel’s first portion.

Having loved ASSEMNLY, I was intrigued to read UNIVERSALITY. I found the first half so engaging and interesting and loved the way Brown had framed an unreliable narrator but also someone who was clearly just slightly out of their depth. To finish with that debate was like watching a tennis match against Serena Williams and an umpire.

Universality by Natasha Brown explores issues of class, race and diversity , sexism, politics and capitalism and our society.