Brown Girls

‘Brown Girls flows like a late night FM-radio dedication to the crew, the block, and the mission. This book’s a gift’ Paul Beatty, author of The Sellout
‘An ode to girlhood’ Raven Leilani, author of Luster

A fiercely poetic coming-of-age novel following a group of young women of colour in Queens, New York.



Brown Girls dives deep into the lives of a group of young women of colour growing up in Queens, New York. Here, streets echo with many languages, subways rumble above dollar stores and the briny scent of the ocean wafts in from Rockaway Beach. Here, girls like Nadira, Gabby, Naz, Trish, Angelique, and many others, struggle to reconcile their immigrant backgrounds with the American culture they come of age in. Here, they become friends for life. Or so they vow.


Brown Girls is a blazingly original, sweeping debut novel told by an unforgettable chorus of voices.


‘Joyous, bittersweet, hilarious … a coming of age story for us all’ Nikesh Shukla, author of Brown Baby


‘Infectious … holds worlds within its pages’ Guardian


‘Gorgeous … incredibly moving’ Independent


‘If you liked LUSTER try BROWN GIRLS’ Sunday Times Style


‘A cracker of a first novel’ Glamour


‘Transporting … not to be missed’ Stylist


‘A daring debut … fearless’ New York Times



SHORTLISTED FOR THE CENTRE FOR FICTION 2022 FIRST NOVEL PRIZE




ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF 2022 IN THE NEW YORK TIMES, GUARDIAN, INDEPENDENT, GLAMOUR, STYLIST, INEWS, SUNDAY TIMES STYLE, LITERARY FRICTION PODCAST AND MORE.