Jendella Benson

'Few people can write the way Jendella does' - Kelechi Okafor, author of Edge of Here'All That We've Got is simply brilliant' - Dorothy Koomson, author of Every Smile You Fake'Simultaneously thought-provoking, heartrending and uplifting' - Onyi Nwabineli, author of Someday, Maybe'An engrossing, empowering story' - Lizzie Damilola Blackburn, author of Yinka, Where is Your Huzband? Over one relentlessly hot summer, two women's lives are about to collide in the most unexpected ways. Mimi is a single mum in her twenties, looking to break free from her family's judgements and her church's oppressive, hypocritical gossip to establish who she is on her own. But a dangerous new romance could lead her into trouble... Meanwhile, fifteen-year-old Abi dreams of emulating the life she sees through social media and helping her mother with the bills. When she's offered the chance to make money fast by helping a group of local boys, she and her friends jump at it. But soon they're crossing county lines, and Abi finds she's in over her head... Could Mimi and Abi forge a bond that could free them both, at the heart of a community they've taken for granted? A powerful commentary on the city we don't always see, this is the stunning new novel from Jendella Benson, the author of the acclaimed Hope & Glory.

'I loved this book so much' - Candice Carty-Williams, author of Queenie'Few people can write the way Jendella does' - Kelechi Okafor, author of Edge of Here'All That We've Got is simply brilliant' - Dorothy Koomson, author of Every Smile You Fake'A heartwarming story about the strength of... Black women' - Taylor-Dior Rumble, author of The Situationship'Simultaneously thought-provoking, heartrending and uplifting' - Onyi Nwabineli, author of Someday, Maybe'An engrossing, empowering story' - Lizzie Damilola Blackburn, author of Yinka, Where is Your Huzband? Over one relentlessly hot summer, two women's lives are about to collide in the most unexpected ways. Mimi is a single mum in her twenties, looking to break free from her family's judgements and her church's oppressive, hypocritical gossip to establish who she is on her own. But a dangerous new romance could lead her into trouble... Meanwhile, fifteen-year-old Abi dreams of emulating the life she sees through social media and helping her mother with the bills. When she's offered the chance to make money fast by helping a group of local boys, she and her friends jump at it. But soon they're crossing county lines, and Abi finds she's in over her head... Could Mimi and Abi forge a bond that could free them both, at the heart of a community they've taken for granted? A powerful commentary on the city we don't always see, this is the stunning new novel from Jendella Benson, the author of the acclaimed Hope & Glory.

One of the year's most anticipated by Marie Claire, Essence, Debutiful, & GoodreadsA brilliant debut by a British-Nigerian author--a heartfelt family drama that will delight book club readers and fans of books like The Girl with the Louding Voice and Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows." Jendella Benson has drawn such a compelling world. The book and the characters stayed with me long after I'd turned the final pages " --Candice Carty-Williams, bestselling author of QueenieGlory Akindele returns to London from her seemingly glamorous life in LA to mourn the sudden death of her father, only to find her previously close family has fallen apart in her absence. Her brother, Victor, is in jail and won't speak to her because she didn't come home for his trial. Her older sister, Faith, once a busy career woman, appears to have lost her independence and ambition, and is instead channeling her energies into holding together a perfect suburban family. Worst of all, their mother, Celeste, is headed toward a breakdown after the death of her husband and the shame of her son's incarceration. Rather than returning to America, Glory decides to stay and try to bring them all together again. It's a tall order given that Glory's life isn't exactly working out according to plan either, and she's acutely aware that she's not so sure who she is and what she wants. A chance reunion with a man she'd known in her teens--the perceptive but elusive Julian--gives her the courage to start questioning why her respectable but obsessively private Nigerian immigrant family is the way it is. But then Glory's questioning unearths a massive secret that shatters the family's fragile peace--and she risks losing everyone she deeply cares about in her pursuit of the truth and a reunited family." Filled with unexpected, but earned, twists, Hope and Glory balances moments of rich humor and devastating profundity...deeply authentic." --Kirkus Reviews"A sumptuous and satisfying meditation on family and the meaning of home." --Publishers Weekly

'So deliciously South London.' - Yomi Adegoke, author of SLAY IN YOUR LANE'A sweeping, rich tale that explores family, secrets, loss, love and redemption within the context of a tessellation of cultures - written with a beautiful texture, Benson pulls you in to a deftly-woven story with tautly-written sentences, and before you know it you find yourself in too deep to get out, too deep to want to get out, wanting to know more.'- Bolu Babalola, author of LOVE IN COLOUR'Jendella Benson has drawn such a compelling world that Hope and Glory, the book and the characters themselves, stayed with me long after I'd turned the final pages.' - Candice Carty-Williams, author of QUEENIEGlory arrives back in Peckham, from her seemingly-glamorous life in LA, to mourn the sudden death of her father, and finds her previously-close family has fallen apart in her absence. Her brother, Victor, has been jailed; her sister, Faith, appears to have lost her independence and ambition; and their mother, Celeste, is headed towards a breakdown. Glory is thrown by their disarray, and rather than returning to America she decides to stay and try to bring them all together again. However, when she unearths a huge family secret, Glory risks losing everyone she truly cares about in her pursuit of the truth. HOPE AND GLORY is a rich, heart-warming story of loss, love and family chaos, and marks an exciting new voice in fiction.

HOPE AND GLORY is a rich, heart-warming story of loss, love and family chaos, and marks an exciting new voice in fiction.

One of the year's most anticipated by Marie Claire, Essence, Debutiful, & GoodreadsA brilliant debut by a British-Nigerian author--a heartfelt family drama that will delight book club readers and fans of books like The Girl with the Louding Voice and Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows." Jendella Benson has drawn such a compelling world. The book and the characters stayed with me long after I'd turned the final pages " --Candice Carty-Williams, bestselling author of QueenieGlory Akindele returns to London from her seemingly glamorous life in LA to mourn the sudden death of her father, only to find her previously close family has fallen apart in her absence. Her brother, Victor, is in jail and won't speak to her because she didn't come home for his trial. Her older sister, Faith, once a busy career woman, appears to have lost her independence and ambition, and is instead channeling her energies into holding together a perfect suburban family. Worst of all, their mother, Celeste, is headed toward a breakdown after the death of her husband and the shame of her son's incarceration. Rather than returning to America, Glory decides to stay and try to bring them all together again. It's a tall order given that Glory's life isn't exactly working out according to plan either, and she's acutely aware that she's not so sure who she is and what she wants. A chance reunion with a man she'd known in her teens--the perceptive but elusive Julian--gives her the courage to start questioning why her respectable but obsessively private Nigerian immigrant family is the way it is. But then Glory's questioning unearths a massive secret that shatters the family's fragile peace--and she risks losing everyone she deeply cares about in her pursuit of the truth and a reunited family." Filled with unexpected, but earned, twists, Hope and Glory balances moments of rich humor and devastating profundity...deeply authentic." --Kirkus Reviews"A sumptuous and satisfying meditation on family and the meaning of home." --Publishers Weekly

One of the year's most anticipated by Marie Claire, Essence, Debutiful, & GoodreadsA brilliant debut by a British-Nigerian author--a heartfelt family drama that will delight book club readers and fans of books like The Girl with the Louding Voice and Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows." Jendella Benson has drawn such a compelling world. The book and the characters stayed with me long after I'd turned the final pages " --Candice Carty-Williams, bestselling author of QueenieGlory Akindele returns to London from her seemingly glamorous life in LA to mourn the sudden death of her father, only to find her previously close family has fallen apart in her absence. Her brother, Victor, is in jail and won't speak to her because she didn't come home for his trial. Her older sister, Faith, once a busy career woman, appears to have lost her independence and ambition, and is instead channeling her energies into holding together a perfect suburban family. Worst of all, their mother, Celeste, is headed toward a breakdown after the death of her husband and the shame of her son's incarceration. Rather than returning to America, Glory decides to stay and try to bring them all together again. It's a tall order given that Glory's life isn't exactly working out according to plan either, and she's acutely aware that she's not so sure who she is and what she wants. A chance reunion with a man she'd known in her teens--the perceptive but elusive Julian--gives her the courage to start questioning why her respectable but obsessively private Nigerian immigrant family is the way it is. But then Glory's questioning unearths a massive secret that shatters the family's fragile peace--and she risks losing everyone she deeply cares about in her pursuit of the truth and a reunited family." Filled with unexpected, but earned, twists, Hope and Glory balances moments of rich humor and devastating profundity...deeply authentic." --Kirkus Reviews"A sumptuous and satisfying meditation on family and the meaning of home." --Publishers Weekly

Few cities have undergone such a radical transformation over the last few decades as Birmingham. Culturally and architecturally, it has been in a state of perpetual flux and regeneration, with new communities moving in, then out, and iconic post-war landmarks making way for brighter-coloured, 21st century flourishes. Much like the city itself, the characters in the stories gathered here are often living through moments of profound change, closing in on a personal or societal turning point, that carries as much threat as it does promise. Set against key moments of history – from Malcolm X’s visit to Smethwick in 1965, to the Handsworth riots two decades later, from the demise of the city’s manufacturing in the 70s and 80s, to the on-going tensions between communities in recent years – these stories celebrate the cultural dynamism that makes this complex, often divided ‘second city’ far more than just the sum of its parts.