First published 2023
Corey Fah is a broke writer living in a precarious London, navigating a surreal landscape of institutional barriers and personal survival. When an unexpected opportunity for a major literary prize emerges, Corey must confront a labyrinthine application process that seems designed to exclude precisely someone like them. Each form, each interaction becomes a battleground of class, identity, and institutional power. As Corey wrestles with applications, recommendations, and increasingly bizarre administrative requirements, the quest becomes more than just winning a prize—it's about challenging a system that constantly renders working-class voices invisible. The stakes are personal: validation, recognition, and the chance to transform individual struggle into collective narrative. Waidner crafts a razor-sharp exploration of social mobility, where bureaucratic nonsense meets raw human determination.
Genres: literary-fiction, contemporary, social-issues, social-justice
Vibes: gritty, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: overcoming-adversity, underdog
Setting: London
Period: 21st-century
160 pages · Hardcover · Hamish Hamilton Ltd