Available Formats
Paperback
Published: 23rd April 2024
Hardback
Published: 23rd April 2024
Paperback
Published: 3rd June 2025
Mongrel
By (Author) Hanako Footman
Footnote Press Ltd
Footnote Press Ltd
23rd April 2024
United Kingdom
General
Fiction
Narrative theme: Identity / belonging
Narrative theme: Love and relationships
Narrative theme: Death, grief, loss
Narrative theme: Displacement, exile, migration
Hardback
352
Width 162mm, Height 240mm, Spine 33mm
573g
'A brilliant explosion of writing and storytelling . . . This feels like reading an Oscar-winning film' AISLING BEA
'Heart-shatteringly visceral and precise . . . a triumphant tribute to the self' WIZ WHARTON
'This compulsive, engrossing, and gorgeous debut will utterly consume you. Read it now' STEPHANIE SCOTT
Mei loses her Japanese mother at age six. Growing up in suburban Surrey, she yearns to fit in, suppressing both her heritage and her growing love for her best friend Fran.
Yuki leaves the Japanese countryside to pursue her dream of becoming a concert violinist in London. Lonely and far from home, she finds herself caught up in the charms of her older teacher.
Haruka attempts to navigate Tokyo's nightlife and all of its many vices, working as a hostess in seedy bars. She grieves a mother who hid so many secrets from her, until finally one of those secrets comes to light . . .
Shifting between three intertwining narratives, Mongrel reveals a tangled web of isolation, desire, love, and ultimately, hope.
'Heart-shatteringly visceral and precise, Mongrel gives voice to generations of women living on the margins. An urgent story of sexual politics, identity and knowledge but ultimately a triumphant tribute to the self' - Wiz Wharton
'Mongrel is a stunning read. A brilliant explosion of writing and storytelling with one of the most unique and powerful voices I've come across in an author. This feels like reading an Oscar-winning film' - Aisling Bea
'A sublime and deeply moving mediation on belonging and home, Mongrel resonates with poetic clarity, offering in each line searing and yet familiar truths. Read it now. This compulsive, engrossing, and gorgeous debut will utterly consume you' - Stephanie Scott
'Dark, sometimes tender, sometimes visceral, Mongrel draws on the complications that arise from power imbalance and cultural collisions. Footman draws us into the devastating worlds of three young women, illuminating their stories with her simple, clear words, while unflinchingly exploring the way identity and belonging shapes them. A beautiful debut' - Helena Lee
Hanako Footman is a British-Japanese actor and author living in London.
Mongrel is her debut novel.