Natasha Brown’s sophomore novel, “Universality,” is a slippery, provocative meditation on narrative, truth, and the mercurial power of language in our fractured social landscape. Following her critically acclaimed debut “Assembly” (shortlisted for the Folio Prize, Goldsmiths Prize, and Orwell Prize), Brown has crafted a text that is both formally inventive and thematically ambitious.
The novel begins deceptively straightforwardly: a golden brick, an assault, a Yorkshire farm, an illegal rave. But what follows is anything but conventional. Instead of a simple whodunit, Brown delivers a Russian nesting doll of narratives that repeatedly question their own veracity and the motivations of those who craft them.
Structure: Five Interlocking Narratives That Challenge Perception
“Universality” by Natasha Brown is composed of five distinct but interconnected sections, each with its own style, perspective, and truth claims:
- “A Fool’s Gold” – A feature article published in Alazon magazine investigating an assault at a Yorkshire farm
- “Edmonton” – A third-person narrative focused on Hannah, the journalist
- “Weybridge” – A meditation on Richard Spencer, the banker villainized in Hannah’s article
- “Cartmel” – An exploration of Lenny Leonard, the columnist manipulating events
- “Showtime” – A first-person climactic monologue from Lenny’s perspective
This structure creates a narrative hall of mirrors where each section recontextualizes and undercuts what came before. Brown’s formal innovation isn’t mere literary gamesmanship; it’s integral to the novel’s exploration of how stories are constructed and deployed for personal and political gain.
Thematic Depth: Language as Currency in a Post-Truth World
At its heart, “Universality” by Natasha Brown examines how narrative functions as both weapon and currency in our fractured information ecosystem. Through the competing versions of events surrounding the assault at Alderton farm, Brown explores how “facts” can be arranged and rearranged to serve various agendas.
The novel’s greatest strength lies in its unflinching examination of how class, race, and social positioning determine whose stories get told and whose voices matter. When Lenny tells her protégé Amanda, “Language is your interface to this world, Amanda. Words are your weapons, they’re your tools, your currency,” we understand this isn’t just career advice but the novel’s central thesis.
Brown demonstrates particular skill in depicting the media machinery that manufactures and monetizes outrage. Hannah’s article, with its selective truths and narrative liberties, becomes a viral sensation not despite but because of its manipulations. Similarly, Lenny’s brand of provocative commentary thrives on simplifying complex social issues into digestible, engagement-generating soundbites.
Character Development: A Constellation of Unreliable Narrators
Rather than offering easily identifiable heroes and villains, Brown presents a cast of morally ambiguous characters whose versions of events and motivations constantly shift:
- Hannah – The ambitious journalist whose career-making article contains significant fabrications
- Richard Spencer – The banker whose narrative becomes fodder for public consumption
- Lenny Leonard – The manipulative columnist who orchestrates events for her own reinvention
- Jake Leonard – Lenny’s wayward son whose actions set events in motion
- Pegasus – The charismatic but ineffectual leader of the “Universalists”
What makes these characters compelling is not their likability but the authenticity with which Brown portrays their compromised positions within systems of power and influence. Each believes their version of events is true—or at least useful—revealing how subjectivity shapes our understanding of reality.
Prose Style: From Journalistic Authority to Intimate Confession
Brown demonstrates remarkable versatility across the novel’s five distinct sections. In “A Fool’s Gold,” she perfectly mimics the authoritative yet subtly manipulative tone of longform journalism. “Edmonton” captures the claustrophobic anxiety of precarious creative labor. “Weybridge” offers an empathetic, if not exculpatory, window into Richard Spencer’s psyche. “Cartmel” and “Showtime” provide the novel’s most electrifying pages as Lenny’s cynical, razor-sharp observations cut through social niceties.
Consider this passage from “Showtime,” where Lenny reflects on her profession:
“We all seek clicks and are simply following different strategies to achieve those clicks—that attention. Our motivation is to maximize our own profits, influence, and longevity… These days, when it comes to the strategic income stream, the picture is complicated. Online subscribers. We get ’em by telling ’em what they want to hear.”
The prose throughout is controlled, incisive, and occasionally reaches moments of startling lyricism. Brown’s background in banking and finance (prior to her literary career) lends authenticity to her depictions of corporate language and financial systems.
Critical Assessment: Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths:
- Formal innovation that serves thematic exploration rather than mere experimentation
- Incisive social commentary on media ecosystems, class tensions, and identity politics
- Versatile prose style that shifts convincingly between journalistic, narrative, and confessional modes
- Nuanced characterization that resists simplistic moral judgments
- Timely engagement with the politics of narrative in our “post-truth” era
Weaknesses:
- Structural complexity that occasionally sacrifices emotional engagement for intellectual stimulation
- Abrupt transitions between sections that can be disorienting
- Deliberate ambiguity that some readers might find frustrating rather than thought-provoking
- Limited resolution of plot elements that traditionalists might find unsatisfying
The novel’s greatest strength—its kaleidoscopic, constantly shifting perspective—may also be its greatest challenge for readers seeking more straightforward storytelling. Brown demands active participation, pushing us to question not just the characters’ reliability but our own interpretive biases.
Comparison to Contemporary Literature
“Universality” by Natasha Brown joins a growing body of contemporary fiction exploring how narrative shapes reality in our digitally mediated age. It shares DNA with Rachel Cusk’s “Outline” trilogy in its interest in how stories construct identity, Jennifer Egan’s “A Visit from the Goon Squad” in its structural playfulness, and Sally Rooney’s work in its attentiveness to class dynamics.
What distinguishes Brown’s novel is its specific focus on media mechanics and the commodification of identity politics. While many contemporary novels address “fake news” and information bubbles, few dissect with such precision how personal and political motivations shape supposedly objective reporting.
Conclusion: A Provocative Achievement That Rewards Close Reading
“Universality” by Natasha Brown is not an easy novel, but it is a necessary one for our moment. Brown has crafted a text that is simultaneously a gripping narrative about an assault on a Yorkshire farm and a meta-commentary on how such narratives are constructed and consumed.
The novel’s refusal to provide easy answers or moral clarity is precisely its point. In a world where truth is increasingly partisan and narrative is weaponized, Brown challenges us to become more discerning readers not just of fiction but of the stories we encounter every day in our media landscape.
For readers willing to embrace ambiguity and interrogate their own assumptions, “Universality” offers a challenging but ultimately rewarding experience. It confirms Natasha Brown as one of Britain’s most intellectually ambitious and formally innovative young novelists—a writer willing to take risks in service of meaningful engagement with our complex social reality.
Recommendation: Who Should Read This Book?
“Universality” by Natasha Brown will particularly appeal to:
- Readers who enjoy formally innovative literary fiction
- Those interested in media critique and the politics of narrative
- Fans of contemporary British authors like Ali Smith, Rachel Cusk, and Zadie Smith
- Anyone concerned with how language shapes our understanding of truth in the digital age
However, readers seeking straightforward plot resolution or clearly delineated heroes and villains may find Brown’s approach frustrating. This is a novel that rewards patient engagement and a willingness to sit with ambiguity.
At a compact length (similar to her debut “Assembly”), “Universality” packs remarkable depth into its pages, offering insights that will linger long after the final page. It’s a novel that dares you to look away—and proves impossible to forget once encountered.