Relebogile Naledi Mpho Moruakgomo or Eddie for short was polishing up her play at her favorite cafe. She just graduated from a prestigious college in London with a theater degree and was ready to set the drama world on fire with her idea of a dystopian society that determines who is an immigrant and who can stay in the country. She knew the trials of immigration personally, as her family came to England from Botswana for a better life.
A young white man took the counter seat next to her at the cafe and she asked him to watch her things while she stepped out for a quick smoking break. When she returned, he commented that what was on her screen looked interesting and well-written and they became infrequent Facebook friends. A year later, she and Hugo started corresponding and became unlikely platonic friends-she was gay and he was a rich handsome white dude with a beautiful girlfriend.
Eddie finished her script and started to submit it to agents and publishing houses with no luck. She knew the play was good and original, and she suspected that her African name was the problem. To test this notion, she submitted it to a top agency under the name "Edward Moore" and actually received an interview-but when she showed up, the agent suddenly found a reason to reject it. Now what?
In despair, she cooks up the grand scheme. Hugo had told her that he would do anything to help her career, but Eddie had a big ask-could she retitle the play and resubmit a slightly revised version under his name? If they accept it and he aces the interview, she could blow the lid off of their obvious discrimination. He thinks it's a great idea and they proceed to do it-what could possibly go wrong? Unfortunately, quite a lot.
I really loved this book. The characters are well-developed and the interplay between Eddie and Hugo, such different people, are extremely instructive. Told in the second person, as dual notes to each other, we follow Hugo who has to deal with his new found and undeserved success, as Eddie copes with being the uncredited ghost writer. The author very clevely deals with her themes-racial discrimination, lookism, and British class structure with humor and heartbreak. I'd love to read another novel that follows Ray's characters as they grow and change-that is the mark of a good novel.
Reviewed by Donna Ballard
February 25, 2025
Reserve a physical copy - Coming soon
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