Michael Symmons Roberts’s fourth book of poetry, Corpus, was the winner of the 2004 Whitbread Poetry Award, and was shortlisted for the T. S. Eliot Prize, the Forward Prize, and the Griffin International Prize. His sixth collection, Drysalter, was the winner of both the Forward Prize and the Costa Poetry Prize in 2013. He collaborated with Paul Farley on Edgelands (Cape/Vintage) and will do so again in The Deaths of the Poets (Cape, 2017). He has also worked many times with the composer James MacMillan. He has published two novels, and is Professor of Poetry at Manchester Metropolitan University.

Michael Symmons Roberts

PublicationStatus

Brand

Format

AgeRange

Series

Imprint

CategoryLabel

Derek Owusu

WINNER OF THE DESMOND ELLIOTT PRIZE 2020 
___________________________________ 
'A singular achievement.' 
Michael Donkor, Guardian 
 
'Heartbreaking, important and original.' 
 Christie Watson, author of THE LANGUAGE OF KINDNESS 
 
'Derek Owusu's writing is honest, moving, delicate, but tough. Once you lock on to his words, it is hard to break eye contact. A beautiful meditation on childhood, coming of age, the now, and the media. This work is heartfelt.' 
 Benjamin Zephaniah 
 
 'Honest and beautiful.' 
 Guy Gunaratne, author of IN OUR MAD AND FURIOUS CITY 
 
 'When writing is this honest, it soars. What an incredible use of language and truth.' 
 Yrsa Daley-Ward 
___________________________________ 
Anansi, your four gifts raised to nyame granted you no power over the stories I tell... 
 
This is the story of K. 
 
K is sent into care before a year marks his birth. He grows up in fields and woods, and he is happy, he thinks. When K is eleven, the city reclaims him. He returns to an unknown mother and a part-time father, trading the fields for flats and a community that is alien to him. Slowly, he finds friends. Eventually, he finds love. He learns how to navigate the city. But as he grows, he begins to realise that he needs more than the city can provide. He is a man made of pieces. Pieces that are slowly breaking apart 
 
That Reminds Me is the story of one young man, from birth to adulthood, told in fragments of memory. It explores questions of identity, belonging, addiction, sexuality, violence, family and religion. It is a deeply moving and completely original work of literature from one of the brightest British writers of today.

That Reminds Me

Winner of the Desmond Elliott Prize 2020

Tochi Eze

'THIS KIND OF TROUBLE is a spellbinding tale of family secrets and how the influence of past generations impacts on the present. Eze expertly weaves together the elements that show how, over the course of a century, a family can break apart and heal. An excellent debut' Louise Hare, author of This Lovely City 
 
‘Tochi Eze is a storyteller that the ancestors would be proud of. With masterful strokes, she knits together a beguiling story of history, tragedy, family and destiny. Her characters live on beneath my skin – truly unforgettable’ – Jendella Benson, author of Hope & Glory 
 
 
A riveting, emotionally-charged tale of forbidden love, centred on an estranged couple who are brought together to reckon with the events that tore their family apart decades ago. 
 
In 1960s Lagos, a city enlivened with its newfound Independence, headstrong Margaret meets British-born Benjamin, a man seeking his ancestral roots after the death of his half-Nigerian father. Their connection is immediate, but as the two begin to fall in love, they discover that their pasts are more interwoven than they imagined due to a series of devastating events that transpired in their ancestral community. The shadow of these events, combined with Margaret’s deteriorating mental health eventually tear them apart. 
 
By 2005, the couple have been estranged for forty years. Margaret has retired to an upscale gated community in Lagos, and seemingly happy Benjamin lives alone in Atlanta, managing his heart problems but feeling unmoored when faced with the question of who to name as his next of kin. But their attempt at a settled life is shattered when their grandson begins to show ominous signs that echo the struggles Margaret once faced. Now, Margaret and Benjamin must finally reunite to confront the buried secrets that they had dismissed in the passion of their youth–secrets that continue to ripple through their family. Their reunion becomes a journey into the past—one that forces them to grapple with both the personal and ancestral burdens that have followed them through generations. 
 
A startling and propulsive tale of forbidden love, THIS KIND OF TROUBLE traces the intertwined legacies of one family’s history, exploring the complex relationship between tradition, modernity and the ways we seek healing in a changing world. Spanning a tumultuous century, the story moves us to consider the ways we are beholden to the past and what we owe the future. With this debut novel, Tochi Eze announces herself as a dazzling new literary voice in world literature.

This Kind of Trouble

Sophia Thakur

Denzell Dankwah

________________________________ 
What do you want to be when you grow up? 
 
Discover the new daring tales of inspiration from over fifty iconic British icons today, who have each harnessed their curiosity and ambition and turned it into their own superhero power. 
With a special introduction by Stormzy 
 
Every inspirational figure has something that makes them special, just like you. Just look at: 
 
· Princess K, who went from tapping her foot under the desk at school, to dancing centre stage at Glastonbury 
· Dina Asher Smith, who started out crawling at lightning speed and became the fastest British woman in history 
· Reggie Yates, who used his power of empathy to connect instantly both in person and through the TV 
· Riz Ahmed, whose ability to code-switch between cultures and creative outlets let him excel as a scholar, actor, activist, and rapper 
· Liam Charles, who followed his childhood passion in the kitchen to become a Bake Off master 
 
This is a book filled with inspiring journeys, to encourage and empower you to harness your power, and become your own superhero.

Superheroes

Inspiring Stories of Secret Strength

Jade LB

The unforgettable, coming-of-age story, a raw and original depiction of British youth culture, perfect for fans of Candice Carty-Williams' Queenie and Raven Leilani's Luster. 
 
WINNER OF THE BRITISH BOOK DISCOVER AWARD 
 
‘A true British classic’ Stormzy 
 
‘The British answer to Gossip Girl’ Dazed 
 
Where were you when Keisha the Sket first broke the internet? 
 
Keisha is a girl from the ends, sharp, feisty and ambitious; she's been labelled 'top sket' but she's making it work. 
 
When childhood crush and long-time admirer, Ricardo, finally wins her over, Keisha has it all: power, a love life and the chance for stability. 
 
But trauma comes knocking and with it a whirlwind of choices that will define what kind of a woman she truly wants to be. 
 
Told with the heart and soul of the inner city, with an unforgettable heroine, Keisha the Sket is a revelation of the true, raw, arousing and tender core of British youth culture. 
 
Complete with essays from esteemed contemporary writers Candice Carty-Williams, Caleb Femi and Aniefiok Ekpoudom. 
 
Praise for Keisha the Sket: 
 
‘Our literary foremother’ Candice Carty-Williams, bestselling author of Queenie 
 
‘Makes me swoon’ Caleb Femi, award-winning author of Poor 
 
‘A cultural phenomenon’ Rolling Stone 
 
‘The erotic romance thriller’ Vogue 
 
‘A piece of literary genius.’ Complex 
 
‘A crucial part of not just Black Brit literature, but British literature as a whole’ Bolu Babalola, bestselling author of Honey and Spice

Keisha The Sket

‘A true British classic.’ Stormzy

Jyoti Patel

AN OBSERVER BEST DEBUT NOVEL OF 2023 
 
WINNER OF THE 2021 #MERKY BOOKS NEW WRITERS' PRIZE 
 
Nik has lots of questions about his late father but knows better than to ask his mother, Avani. It's their unspoken rule. 
 
But when his grandfather dies, Nik has the opportunity to learn about the man he never met. Armed with a key and new knowledge about his parents' past, Nik sets out to unlock the secrets that his mother has been holding onto his whole life. 
 
The Things That We Lost is a beautifully tender exploration of family, loss and how far we will go to protect the ones we love.

The Things That We Lost

Delia Cai

Audrey Zhou left Hickory Grove, the tiny central Illinois town where she grew up, as soon as high school ended, and she never looked back. She moved to New York City and became the person she always wanted to be, complete with a high-paying, high-pressure job and a seemingly faultless fiancé. But if she and Manhattan-bred Ben are to build a life together, in the dream home his parents will surely pay for, Audrey can no longer hide him, or the person she's become, from those she left behind. 
 
But returning to Hickory Grove is . . . complicated. Over the course of one disastrous week, Audrey's proximity to her family and to Kyle, her unrequited high school crush, forces her to confront the past and reexamine her fraught connection to her roots before she undoes everything she's worked toward and everything she's imagined for herself. But is that life really the one she wants?

Central Places

Sufiyaan Salam

'Compulsive, raw and searingly honest. An utterly original, unfiltered voice. A darkly witty story of Northern rude-bois coming of age: perfectly crafted, uncensored, totally real' NUSSAIBAH YOUNIS 
 
'Freewheeling, risk-taking and ceaselessly fun, this intense, multi-voiced novel is immense in its ambition and singular in its achievement. It really is one hell of a ride' GURNAIK JOHAL 
 
'The energy of Salam's work was beyond . . . dazzling in its daring and reach' JACQUELINE CROOKS 
 
three boyz drive & dream 
of an impossible night 
on an endless street. . . 
 
a white bimmer hurtles down manchester’s curry mile, carrying three brown boys in pursuit of a wild night out, oi oi oi! 
 
there’s IMMY (23) – nursing mad heartbreak but tryna get over it by chirpsing someone new, hoping to distract from the scores of rage bubbling up beneath. . . 
 
there’s KHAN (24) – cambridge-gangster on a mission to avenge, losing himself to old stereotypes, illegal ventures on the sly. . . 
 
and there’s HARIS (24) – the sensitive type, getting married next week but having second thoughts, feeling mad para about his day ones discovering all his secrets. 
 
it’s an evening of chaos and mischief. three boys with nothing to do and something to prove. of course there’s gonna be trouble. 
 
and look, what the boys don’t know: this night might just be their last. . . 
 
WIMMY ROAD BOYZ is a blistering story of masculinity, violence and love set over the course of a single, surreal night from a wholly original new British talent.

Wimmy Road Boyz

William Rayfet Hunter

***SHORTLISTED FOR THE WATERSTONES DEBUT FICTION PRIZE 2025*** 
 
AN OBSERVER BEST NEW NOVELIST 2025 
 
WINNER OF THE #MERKY BOOKS 2022 NEW WRITERS' PRIZE 
 
 
'This summer's hottest read' 
SUNDAY TIMES 
 
'Beguiling . . . elegant and surprising' 
OBSERVER 
 
'You won't want to put it down' 
BRITISH VOGUE 
 
'Sticky, twisting and dangerous' 
REBECCA K REILLY 
 
It’s summer and a young man walks through the gates of a luxurious mansion in the South of France. At the dinner table, the Blake siblings await him: Lily, his carefree friend from university; Dot, the rebellious younger sister; and Felix – handsome, charismatic and guarded. 
 
Between sun-drenched days spent lounging by the pool and nights blurring into endless, opulent parties, the man is captivated by Felix’s restless allure. As his desire grows, the chance to become part of the family and their world of money and power starts to feel within reach. 
 
But the idyllic haze of summer fades as they return to London and the cracks in the Blakes' careful façade begin to show. With the two men tormented by demons of their own, their bond is increasingly tested and pulled apart at the seams. Their secrets and the choices they make will change not only their lives, but the future of those around them. 
 
Sunstruck is a dazzling and poignant exploration of race, status and the parts of ourselves we risk losing when we fall in love. 
 
'Beautifully written and well-paced . . . builds tension as it approaches an exciting revelation' 
JACQUELINE CROOKS 
 
'There’s plenty of plot; the novel’s brisk pacing, together with its shrewd blend of emotional sincerity, brooding intrigue and political overtones, make for a lively beach read' 
GUARDIAN 
 
'Very hard to put down . . . A truly gripping story about privilege and perspective from a writer with a sharp pen and a wicked sense of humour whose incredible career is only just beginning' 
ORE AGBAJE-WILLIAMS 
 
'Smart, bracing, sexy . . . I was completely gripped' 
JACK PARLETT 
 
‘A stunning and tender debut. Sultry and compulsive. Full of heart’ 
SOULA EMMANUEL 
 
'Poignant, tender, and wonderfully honest' 
CHLOE MICHELLE HOWARTH

Sunstruck

Toya Wolfe

State Street Chicago, 1999. One summer that changes everything. 
 
An unlikely trio: Felicia 'Fe Fe' Stevens, daughter of fiercely protective mother; Precious Brown, daughter of a prominent church Elder; and Stacia Buchanan, daughter of a Gangster Disciple Queen-Pin. 
 
They have a simple friendship, whiling away sunny days with games of Double Dutch. But when Fe Fe invites mysterious Tonya into their fold, life as they know it will never be the same again. 
 
Last Summer on State Street is a profound coming-of-age story about the restorative power of community, the claiming of one's own past, and the defining friendships which form the heartbeat of our lives.

Last Summer on State Street

Monika Radojevic

'Passionate and powerful, a love story that will grip you until the very end' ABIGAIL BERGSTROM, author of WHAT A SHAME 
 
'A beautiful, vivid, gut-punch of a novel' EMMA STONEX, author of THE LAMPLIGHTERS 
'Beautiful . . . a wonderful and remarkable novel that I would happily read all over again' ORE AGBAJE-WILLIAMS, author of THE THREE OF US 
London, 1990. Zivoin is newly arrived in a strange country. The dependable oldest son, he works all hours of the day and night, sending every penny he can save back to his family. On the news, he watches his homeland, Yugoslavia, slowly fracturing. 
 
Thousands of miles away, in the tropical heat of Uberlândia, Brazil, Alegria prepares to leave behind the country – and the family – she loves dearly. Bright and ambitious, she strives to give her parents the life they deserve, even if it takes her far from them. 
 
A chance meeting throws Alegria and Zivoin together – and for a brief moment, they feel at home. But their journey is just beginning, and what follows will draw them irresistibly across countries and continents, leaving them both forever changed. 
 
The powerful, exhilarating debut novel from an award-winning new voice in fiction, Strangerland is a heartfelt testament to the endurance that has come to define a generation of immigrants. Above all, it is a soaring, emotionally rich story about the power of love to transcend languages, borders and time.

Strangerland

Rivers Solomon

'Intense, original, and wonderfully unpredictable . . . Model Home is a story of a haunted house and haunted people; profound family secrets lie at the heart of this book as well as, surprisingly, blessedly, meaningful touches of love and hope. Rivers Solomon is an astonishingly talented writer.' Victor LaValle, author of Lone Women 
 
 
‘A startling reimagination of the haunted-house genre. The twists and turns are carefully drawn, with the tension mounting toward a shocking end . . . With this exhilarating and unforgettable work, Solomon proves to be a formidable writer.’ Kirkus 
 
---------- 
 
Two bodies lie in the garden of a sprawling property in Oak Creek Estate, a wealthy gated community in Dallas, Texas. 
 
The bodies belong to the parents of Ezri, Eve and Emmanuel, who have long since abandoned the childhood home in which their parents remained all these years. A home that has haunted and hollowed them throughout their lives, in a neighbourhood where they grew up as the only Black family, hoping to survive a place that wanted to claim them, expel them and ruin them all at once. 
 
In the wake of their parents’ death, Ezri and their siblings are forced to confront the reasons they left, the nightmares that have held them captive and the possibility that realities exist beyond those that have forged them. 
 
Bold and tender, Model Home is powerful meditation on the power of memory, loss and identity. 
 
Praise for Sorrowland: 
 
“A wonderland of fantastical and frightening, magical and real.” Marlon James 
“A fantastical, fierce reckoning... Sorrowland is gorgeous.” Roxanne Gay 
“Dark, magical and incredibly satisfying.” Independent 
“An exhilarating journey to the outer limits of science fiction.” Guardian 
"Intense, original and wonderfully unpredicatable." Victor LaVelle

Model Home

Rukky Brume

Grief, that ungovernable pet – it comes and goes as it pleases, never straying far. 
 
Death sneaks up on Onome Odafe. She has little experience of what it means to lose someone she truly loves. So when her sister calls to tell her that their father didn’t survive a stroke, she isn’t sure how to act, what grieving is meant to look or feel like. She passes the days until she returns to Nigeria for the funeral in a haze of performance and distraction, holding together what little of herself is left. 
 
Reunited with her siblings and mother in Nigeria, Onome is thrown into the depths of various funeral events, uncomfortable customs, meddling religious figures and both unfamiliar and familiar faces. One of which, is Aunty Eguono, her father’s sister. A woman who has never shied away from making a scene, and whose careless words one afternoon upend the only image of her father Onome has ever known. As she struggles to accept the reality of her father’s death, she finds herself on a path of discovery leading towards an unsettling truth: a man can be more than one thing, and the man in question may be her father. 
 
An unforgettable debut, IT COMES IN WAVES is both an honest exploration of grief and a captivating story of the lives we lead and leave behind.

It Comes in Waves

Yrsa Daley-Ward

‘Totally original, entirely compelling and astonishingly well crafted, The Catch solidifies Yrsa Daley-Ward as one of Britain's best and boldest voices. A dark and lyrical debut that's well worth the wait.’ Yomi Adegoke, author of Slay in Your Lane and The List 
 
'A fantastic, shimmering work. Ysra Daley-Ward's rich exploration of Black womanhood and familial complexities is a must read.' Irenosen Okojie 
 
‘From one of my favourite living writers, The Catch is a slippery shape-shifting delight. Yrsa’s novel is fluorescently dark and winding; brilliant in its investigation of refractions and meaning.’ 
Eloghosa Osunde, author of VAGABONDS! 
 
‘Yrsa’s work is like holding the truth in your hands. A glorious living thing’ FLORENCE WELCH 
A darkly whimsical debut about women daring to live and create with impunity. 
Twin sisters Clara and Dempsey have always struggled to relate, their familial bond severed after their mother vanished into the Thames. In adulthood, they are content to be all but estranged, until Clara sees a woman who looks exactly like their mother on the streets of London. The catch: this version of Serene, aged not a day, has enjoyed a childless life. 
 
Clara, a celebrity author in desperate need of validation, believes Serene is their mother, while Dempsey, isolated and content to remain so, believes she is a con woman. As they clash over this stranger, the sisters hurtle toward an altercation that threatens their very existence, forcing them to finally confront their pasts--together. In her riveting first foray into fiction, Yrsa Daley-Ward conjures a kaleidoscopic multiverse of daughterhood and mother-want, exploring the sacrifices that Black women must make for self-actualization. The result is a marvel of a debut novel that boldly asks, "How can it ever, ever be a crime to choose yourself?"

The Catch

Taylor-Dior Rumble

'A book that bridges the gap between Bridget Jones and Insecure, this is one fresh summer romcom we can't wait to read' Stylist 
 
'The Siituationship marks a bold new voice. I was hooked from start to finish'. Caleb Azumah Nelson, author of Open Water and Small Worlds 
 
'ESSENTIAL summer reading!' Ore Agbaje-Williams, author of The Three of Us 
 
When the love of her life shows up with a girlfriend, Tia decides it's time to put herself out there. 
 
Expectations of dating apps are low, so it's a surprise when she instantly connects with handsome photographer Nate. He's everything she's looking for; he makes her feel safe, seen, and desired. 
 
Tia assumes they're on the same page - the only catch? They're yet to have The Talk. 
 
In a generation that's normalised competing over who cares the least, can Tia overcome her fears and lay her cards on the table, in the pursuit of something real? 
 
 
'Fun, fresh, and endlessly relatable, this is the most empowering rom-com of 2023. Run don't walk to get a copy!' Laura Jane Williams, author of Our Stop and Lovestruck 
 
'Smart, sexy and vibrant. Absolutely sizzling with feeling. I wish all books were this fun.' Annie Lord, author of Notes on Heartbreak

The Situationship

#Merky Books’ first unputdownable rom-com

"A fantastical, fierce reckoning... Sorrowland is gorgeous." Roxanne Gay 
 
"Dark, magical and incredibly satisfying." Independent 
 
"An exhilarating journey to the outer limits of science fiction." Guardian. 
 
"Epic!" Observer 
 
Vern, a hunted woman alone in the woods, who gives birth to twins and raises them away from the influence of the outside world. But something is wrong - not with them, but with her own body. It's changing, it's itching, it's stronger, it's... not normal. 
 
Sorrowland is a memorable work of Gothic fiction that wrestles with the tangled history of racism in America, by the end Vern learns that monsters aren't just individuals, but entire histories, systems, and nations.

Sorrowland

'Tender, humorous and moving’ COSMOPOLITAN 
 
'Visceral, wild, and so beautifully necessary.' SALMA EL-WARDANY, author of THESE IMPOSSIBLE THINGS 
 
'Radojevic’s stories and fragments are so sharp-edged they could draw blood. Fierce, funny and angry.' CATHERINE MAYER, author TIME/LIFE 
 
*** 
 
Across thirty striking tales, Monika Radojevic weaves together the surreal with the everyday, confronting the experiences of contemporary womanhood with a tender ferocity shot through with humour.A woman walks into a bar, and nobody notices. A newly married couple are punished for their childlessness with an unsettling nocturnal invasion. A girl trades her vocal cords for a chance at freedom. A door-to-door salesperson offers the antidote to women’s fear – but it comes at a high price. 
 
Bubbling with an urgent rage that occasionally tips over into vengeance, Radojevic deftly charts the moments that make a life: from the warmth of first love to the recognition of anger, and the possibilities that take shape as we find or lose our ability to speak. A Beautiful Lack of Consequence explores the ways in which the world bends and breaks women with the pressure it puts on them – and what happens when those women snap back. 
 
Moving and irreverent, dark and otherworldly, A Beautiful Lack of Consequence is a blazing debut collection from the winner of the #Merky Books New Writers’ Prize. 
 
*** 
 
'Thoughtful, introspective and darkly funny' READER REVIEW 
 
'So beautiful and raw' READER REVIEW 
 
'Biting . . . a must read!' READER REVIEW

Showing results for: ‘Michael Symmons Roberts’

Filters

Category

Age

Publication Date

Format

Imprint

Follow penguin

Follow ladybird

Follow puffin

Sign up to the Penguin newsletter