Description
A sharply witty and tender portrait of a young girl’s quiet rebellion and refusal to be broken. Shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2026 and winner of the British Book Award – Discover Prize, this novel is set in 1960s Bradford and follows Mercy, a precocious child facing a world far too big for her small body. She lives with her Windrush-generation parents in a crowded household where her mother’s attention is divided between church and family, while her father’s temper is something to endure or avoid. Feeling like an outsider in her own home, Mercy retreats into books and the companionship of her beloved doll, Dolly, while learning to navigate the flaws and failings of the adults around her. Armed with humour, style and a fierce imagination, she quietly begins to plot her escape from a traumatic childhood. Raw and deeply affecting, Mercy’s story explores Black British culture, childhood, family and survival in 1960s Britain.
Information
Language: English
Publication date: April 30, 2026
Genres: Books, Foreign language books, English literature, Fiction in english, English novels
Type: Paperback book
Pages: 289
ISBN/EAN: 9781918228038