Derek Owusu

A Granta Best Young British Novelist The Recovery House follows the plight of Jamal, a young poet who finds himself in a mental health facility after a breakdown, trying to navigate his immediate surroundings and the inter-personal dynamics with those he is currently sharing a space with. While tussling with his new-found circumstance on a micro level, he also goes on an emotional and philosophical journey as he irreverently searches for deeper meanings in love, life, friendship and self.

FROM GRANTA BEST OF YOUNG BRITISH NOVELIST AND WINNER OF THE DESMOND ELLIOT PRIZE Ray is a fitness enthusiast looking for the perfect shape, but as his discipline develops, his obsession with his weight begins to take its toll. As he's cheered on by those who may not want the best for him, his partner Temi - an aspiring novelist - watches with both concern and curiosity. Hunger Pains is a gripping exploration of obsession, fitness, and the fine line between dedication and self-destruction.

Loneliness means you don't have to disappoint anyone until you develop the habit of talking to yourselfAt nineteen, Marcus is young and in love . . . again. When his latest crush, Adwoa, starts showing him true affection, Marcus is ready to reconsider his lifestyle - the drugs, the casual encounters. At least for a little while. Now, before he knows it, Marcus is twenty-five. And history risks repeating itself. Told through two parallel narratives - one past, one present - Borderline Fiction is a highly original and deeply affecting contemporary tale written with an intensity of emotion and vulnerability. The novel is a close-up, sometimes uncomfortable, sometimes funny examination of what it means to be a young black man navigating today's world. Tortured, beautiful, anxious and poetic, Borderline Fiction is a memorable glimpse into the inner world of a young man searching for an authentic way to love and be loved.

DEREK OWUSU NAMED GRANTA'S BEST OF YOUNG BRITISH NOVELISTS 2023LONGLISTED FOR THE JHALAK PRIZE 2023LONGLISTED FOR THE DYLAN THOMAS PRIZE 2023SHORTLISTED FOR PEOPLE'S BOOK PRIZE - FICTION 2023LONGLISTED FOR THE DIVERSE BOOK AWARDS 2023'A highly enigmatic, affectionate and robustly written portrayal of a mother-son relationship . . . very relatable' Diana EvansDriven by a deep-seated desire to understand his mother's life before he was born, Derek Owusu offers a powerful imagining of her journey. As she moves from Ghana to the UK and navigates parenthood in a strange and often lonely environment, the effects of her displacement are felt across generations. Told through the eyes of both mother and son, Losing the Plot is at once emotionally raw and playful as Owusu experiments with form to piece together the immigrant experience and explore how the stories we share and tell ourselves are just as vital as the ones we don't.

Faith is a subject that has shaped the art world in Britain for as long as it has existed. The walls of Tate’s galleries exhibit paintings like John Martin’s The Last Judgement and The Great Day of His Wrath – both dramatic scenes that foretell apocalyptic destruction and biblical catastrophe. But faith can also exist in the small tender glimpses of hope, of love and joy. Responding to works in Britain’s national collection of art, from Frank Holl to Agostino Brunias, Look Again: Faith is a powerful meditation on the presence and meaning of belief in art. ? Look Again is a new series of short books from Tate Publishing, opening up the conversation about British art over the last 500 years, and exploring what art has to tell us about our lives today. Written by leading voices from the worlds of literature, art and culture, each book sheds new light on some of the most well-known, best-loved and thought-provoking artworks in the national collection, and asks us to look again.

This is the story of K. If you believe your life to be as fictitious as K's, if you find yourself within the pages of this book, then you are holding the pen and not me. Attachments are broken at birth. Shards slide apart. K: a child put into foster care, a boy brought back to the city, a man who must fight to make sense of his past. Is there hope to be found in a broken mind? Can the pieces of a life come together to reveal an image that's steady? Episodic, fragmented, full of poetry's coiled power, That Reminds Me is the story of one young man remembering. It's an entreaty to a lost culture, and a fight for love, for family, and for the respite of fixed identity. And in its searing and delicate questionings--of belonging, addiction, sexuality, violence, mental health, and religion--That Reminds Me firmly places Derek Owusu amongst the brightest British writers of today.

DEREK OWUSU NAMED GRANTA'S BEST OF YOUNG BRITISH NOVELISTS 2023LONGLISTED FOR THE JHALAK PRIZE 2023LONGLISTED FOR THE DYLAN THOMAS PRIZE 2023SHORTLISTED FOR PEOPLE'S BOOK PRIZE - FICTION 2023LONGLISTED FOR THE DIVERSE BOOK AWARDS 2023'A highly enigmatic, affectionate and robustly written portrayal of a mother-son relationship . . . very relatable' Diana EvansDriven by a deep-seated desire to understand his mother's life before he was born, Derek Owusu offers a powerful imagining of her journey. As she moves from Ghana to the UK and navigates parenthood in a strange and often lonely environment, the effects of her displacement are felt across generations. Told through the eyes of both mother and son, Losing the Plot is at once emotionally raw and playful as Owusu experiments with form to piece together the immigrant experience and explore how the stories we share and tell ourselves are just as vital as the ones we don't.

Leon "Locksmith" Rolle is one-quarter of the phenomenally successful band Rudimental. In this book, he shares his aspirational story. With chapters on mindset, self-belief and confidence, Leon encourages you to find balance and happiness, no matter what life throws at you. Leon grew up in Hackney, where he played semi-professional football and went on to form Rudimental with three childhood friends. He says: "Things weren’t always easy for me growing up, and I made a lot of mistakes. But I don’t regret any of it, because everything that’s happened has made me Locksmith, and that makes me proud. I want you to be proud of yourself too. You have the power to be great, and successes, mistakes and failures are all just a part of life. It's the journey that counts, because that's what makes you who you are." Let Leon's story inspire you to embrace life and fulfil your incredible potential.

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 apartThat 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.

The Good Immigrant meets Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race, SAFE is an anthology of writing by Black British men, edited by Mostly Lit podcast host Derek Owusu.