Mongrel (paperback), by Hanako Footman 
 
THE DEBUT NOVEL THAT'LL STEAL YOUR HEART
SHORTLISTED FOR THE WATERSTONES DEBUT FICTION PRIZE 2024

'So beautiful ... Simply, it must be read' LISA TADDEO
'This feels like reading an Oscar-winning film' AISLING BEA
'Heart-shatteringly visceral and precise' WIZ WHARTON
'Compulsive, engrossing, and gorgeous ... Read it now' STEPHANIE SCOTT

Mei loses her Japanese mother at age six. Growing up in suburban Surrey, she yearns to fit in, suppressing not only her heritage but her growing desire for her best friend Fran.

Yuki leaves the Japanese countryside to pursue her dream of becoming a concert violinist in London. Far from home and in an unfamiliar city, 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 the city's sex district. 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 desire, isolation, belonging and ultimately, hope.