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Mongrel
'Mongrel is so beautiful that I became lost in it . . . Simply, it must be read' LISA TADDEO
'A brilliant explosion of writing and storytelling . . . This feels like reading an Oscar-winning film' AISLING BEA
'Heart-shatteringly visceral and precise . . . a triumphant tribute to the self' WIZ WHARTON
'This compulsive, engrossing, and gorgeous debut will utterly consume you. Read it now' STEPHANIE SCOTT
This audiobook includes an exclusive Q&A with the author
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.
'A brilliant explosion of writing and storytelling . . . This feels like reading an Oscar-winning film' AISLING BEA
'Heart-shatteringly visceral and precise . . . a triumphant tribute to the self' WIZ WHARTON
'This compulsive, engrossing, and gorgeous debut will utterly consume you. Read it now' STEPHANIE SCOTT
This audiobook includes an exclusive Q&A with the author
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.
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First published February 8, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,352 reviews
Want to read
May 7, 2024oh how i love books about women
February 26, 2024
my heart hurts
June 27, 2024
My favourite book of the year and it's only February.
Words can't accurately express how amazing this book is, and I can't capture how beautiful the language and structure are. An absolutely gorgeous story that everyone should read. I was hooked from the moment I read:
"If she focused on her violin, she wouldn't have to focus on her dead mum."
Words can't accurately express how amazing this book is, and I can't capture how beautiful the language and structure are. An absolutely gorgeous story that everyone should read. I was hooked from the moment I read:
"If she focused on her violin, she wouldn't have to focus on her dead mum."
June 9, 2025
The more I think about this critically, the more I dislike it. I think the right intentions were there, but the execution was considerably lacking. It’s a debut novel that reads very much like a debut - good concept, but the execution is ROUGH around the edges. Footman has good prose and on a sentence level, Mongrel has some solid writing. I highlighted several passages and enjoyed how imagery and symbolism were woven through the narratives.
I think the story has all the basic elements required for success, but it suffers from poor pacing. Part 1 feels like a slow and gradual introduction to two of the three protagonists, and the short chapters work well here. In subsequent parts, I felt that the individual stories were growing increasingly fragmented and skipping too much time, making it difficult for me to maintain a connection with the protagonists. The number of secondary characters doesn’t help, and the connections can become muddled when you don’t spend much time with each narrator. I liked how things came together, but it was so heavily alluded to that some of the emotional payoff was missing.
My other issue with Mongrel is how all of the men in each story are reduced to sexist, racist, violent caricatures, more than realized antagonists. While I completely agree with Footman’s thematic analysis (exploring the very real lived realities of sexism and misogyny), the execution often felt oversimplified. Each female protagonist is meek and servile, and there is a lot of nuance left unexplored. It would have bothered me less if the same trend weren’t pervasive in all three narratives, but the reduction to a purely narrative of oppressor and passive victim left me wanting more depth. I found that generally all three of the narrators had such a similar voice and disposition that it made things blur together and veer into monotony.
The writing also has notable instances of misogyny (describing someone with “brown blowjob eyes” is wild) and it feels wholly unnecessary. I’ve seen other reviews with similar sentiments, but as a white dude, I’m certainly not the arbiter of truth here! Definitely not my favourite read of the year, and I don't know if I'd recommend this very much!
I think the story has all the basic elements required for success, but it suffers from poor pacing. Part 1 feels like a slow and gradual introduction to two of the three protagonists, and the short chapters work well here. In subsequent parts, I felt that the individual stories were growing increasingly fragmented and skipping too much time, making it difficult for me to maintain a connection with the protagonists. The number of secondary characters doesn’t help, and the connections can become muddled when you don’t spend much time with each narrator. I liked how things came together, but it was so heavily alluded to that some of the emotional payoff was missing.
My other issue with Mongrel is how all of the men in each story are reduced to sexist, racist, violent caricatures, more than realized antagonists. While I completely agree with Footman’s thematic analysis (exploring the very real lived realities of sexism and misogyny), the execution often felt oversimplified. Each female protagonist is meek and servile, and there is a lot of nuance left unexplored. It would have bothered me less if the same trend weren’t pervasive in all three narratives, but the reduction to a purely narrative of oppressor and passive victim left me wanting more depth. I found that generally all three of the narrators had such a similar voice and disposition that it made things blur together and veer into monotony.
The writing also has notable instances of misogyny (describing someone with “brown blowjob eyes” is wild) and it feels wholly unnecessary. I’ve seen other reviews with similar sentiments, but as a white dude, I’m certainly not the arbiter of truth here! Definitely not my favourite read of the year, and I don't know if I'd recommend this very much!
September 10, 2023
TW: Rape, sexual assault, self harm, racism, homophobia, abuse, alcoholism, parental death.
Oh wow. Wow wow wow. This was a beautiful book from start to finish. As someone who is part Japanese and part British, reading about Mei made me feel like I had been broken and the deepest parts of myself were left exposed on the pages. I felt understood and represented and it made me long for a home and a life I haven’t lived.
The way this story was weaved together felt like a breathe of fresh air. Womanhood and pride of family and heritage held the pieces of this story together. Every word was chosen carefully and not a single word, or sentence felt out of place. I’m awestruck by the talent and enchanting way Footman writes. I don’t have enough words to encapsulate the treasure this book was to read.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for kindly providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. #Mongrel #NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Oh wow. Wow wow wow. This was a beautiful book from start to finish. As someone who is part Japanese and part British, reading about Mei made me feel like I had been broken and the deepest parts of myself were left exposed on the pages. I felt understood and represented and it made me long for a home and a life I haven’t lived.
The way this story was weaved together felt like a breathe of fresh air. Womanhood and pride of family and heritage held the pieces of this story together. Every word was chosen carefully and not a single word, or sentence felt out of place. I’m awestruck by the talent and enchanting way Footman writes. I don’t have enough words to encapsulate the treasure this book was to read.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for kindly providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. #Mongrel #NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
October 23, 2025
This book is difficult for me to rate. The first part felt somewhat superficial and slow, but I’m glad I powered through — the second half was truly engrossing. Once the different strands of the story began to shift and intertwine, I found I couldn’t put it down.
Now, to the part I struggled with.
Several readers mentioned how deeply this story resonated with them as a “book about women,” one that made their hearts ache — in a good way, I assume. For me, though, it was more complicated. The novel seemed intent on portraying men in an unflattering light; there wasn’t a single positive male character. I find that troubling.
Presenting men as one-dimensional villains and women as powerless victims feels like a narrative we should have outgrown. Men are not merely desire-driven creatures, and women are not destined to lose their vitality and future through their relationships with them. It saddens me that some readers might see this story — about generations of women diminished by weak men — as a quintessential “women’s story.”
3 stars from me.
Now, to the part I struggled with.
Several readers mentioned how deeply this story resonated with them as a “book about women,” one that made their hearts ache — in a good way, I assume. For me, though, it was more complicated. The novel seemed intent on portraying men in an unflattering light; there wasn’t a single positive male character. I find that troubling.
Presenting men as one-dimensional villains and women as powerless victims feels like a narrative we should have outgrown. Men are not merely desire-driven creatures, and women are not destined to lose their vitality and future through their relationships with them. It saddens me that some readers might see this story — about generations of women diminished by weak men — as a quintessential “women’s story.”
3 stars from me.
August 9, 2024
wow what a stunning yet heartbreaking novel
September 2, 2024
I’m going to go call my mama now.
February 17, 2024
Oh, my heart. This is the kind of writing that I constantly look for in a book, but rarely find. Language so beautiful and meaningful that it becomes a visceral experience. Raw, poetic; beautiful and dark. I can't believe this is a debut. I hope to see more from this author in the future!
April 26, 2024
A beautiful book. So many topics covered in this book - would be brilliant as a book club read or studied in class
July 5, 2024
I received a review copy of this book from Footnote Press via NetGalley for which my thanks.
Mongrel (2024) by Hanako Footman, which explores family, identity and belonging and love and desire, among others, has been well received by most reviewers but unfortunately for me, it didn’t have the same impact and at more than one point I considered DNF’ing it. But things did take a turn for the better as the stories we follow moved from damage and heartbreak to healing and hope.
In the book we follow three women, Mei born to a Japanese mother and Irish father and brought up after her mother’s death by her father, stepmother and step-siblings. Always attempting to ‘hide’ her Japanese identity, she constantly struggles between the connections she feels with her mother’s roots, from hazy, almost lost memories of songs sung and food eaten as also that single visit to her grandparents in Japan when she was six and her present where she attempts to fit in—from the food she claims to like to her appearance to even self-harm. Facing subtle and not so subtle racism, still dealing with the grief of the loss of her mother and the love she feels for her best friend Fran whose responses are often fluctuating, confusions, heartbreak and unsettledness define her every day.
In a different timeline is Yuki, an eighteen-year-old from the Japanese countryside who heads off to English for a summer course dreaming of a career as a violinist. But there she falls for her much older teacher and her life takes a completely different direction than she imagined, with her losing much of what defined her in the process.
And then we have Haruko, who lives with her mother and grandparents until her mother dies, the grief affecting the family differently, further complicating already sensitive equations. Eventually she leaves home and ends up working as a hostess in seedy Tokyo bars.
The three women face much from grief to heartbreak and unrequited love, abuse and racism, affecting their self-understanding and self-worth, the resultant despair, isolation, brokenness and loss of self, leading them to simply float along, not even sure perhaps of what they are looking for. But one little step from one of them starts to change things, bringing both healing and answers.
In its first almost 60 per cent, I found myself simply reading, at times just bearing the book, unable to feel the degree of sympathy (or indeed any) for any of the characters that the story sought to create, even though I could feel for their predicaments. I also struggled to entirely comprehend their motivations and actions. Added to this were the very raw and graphic scenes which in general I’m not a fan of in any case but which without generating the sort of sympathy they were supposed to (at least for me) resulted in that content almost taking over the book. The abuse, the misogyny, the racism are meant to disturb, no doubt, and they do, but without that connect with the characters, for me they lost some their power and the effect they could have had (not to say that I didn’t detest the slimy characters we come across).
What kept me reading despite the aforementioned almost DNFing was the first hint to the connections between the women we are reading of and which immediately lead one to work the links out as the stories start to interweave with one another. One can guess some things (confirmed as one reads on) but not all the reasons or explanations or even know the actions of some of the other characters that led things to be as they turned out, and it seems I did want to find out.
Post that 60-ish per cent mark, things got better as the stories took a turn from the characters simply drifting to finding connections, ones that start to reveal things not known, to bring answers to questions that had been long hanging and which start to, beneath the surface, heal. So at least as things come to a close, there is hope—not of things becoming whole again may be but at least some of the pieces coming together.
But despite this, it didn’t make up for it all. I’m pretty much in the minority on this one, but the book just didn’t do much for me.
Mongrel (2024) by Hanako Footman, which explores family, identity and belonging and love and desire, among others, has been well received by most reviewers but unfortunately for me, it didn’t have the same impact and at more than one point I considered DNF’ing it. But things did take a turn for the better as the stories we follow moved from damage and heartbreak to healing and hope.
In the book we follow three women, Mei born to a Japanese mother and Irish father and brought up after her mother’s death by her father, stepmother and step-siblings. Always attempting to ‘hide’ her Japanese identity, she constantly struggles between the connections she feels with her mother’s roots, from hazy, almost lost memories of songs sung and food eaten as also that single visit to her grandparents in Japan when she was six and her present where she attempts to fit in—from the food she claims to like to her appearance to even self-harm. Facing subtle and not so subtle racism, still dealing with the grief of the loss of her mother and the love she feels for her best friend Fran whose responses are often fluctuating, confusions, heartbreak and unsettledness define her every day.
In a different timeline is Yuki, an eighteen-year-old from the Japanese countryside who heads off to English for a summer course dreaming of a career as a violinist. But there she falls for her much older teacher and her life takes a completely different direction than she imagined, with her losing much of what defined her in the process.
And then we have Haruko, who lives with her mother and grandparents until her mother dies, the grief affecting the family differently, further complicating already sensitive equations. Eventually she leaves home and ends up working as a hostess in seedy Tokyo bars.
The three women face much from grief to heartbreak and unrequited love, abuse and racism, affecting their self-understanding and self-worth, the resultant despair, isolation, brokenness and loss of self, leading them to simply float along, not even sure perhaps of what they are looking for. But one little step from one of them starts to change things, bringing both healing and answers.
In its first almost 60 per cent, I found myself simply reading, at times just bearing the book, unable to feel the degree of sympathy (or indeed any) for any of the characters that the story sought to create, even though I could feel for their predicaments. I also struggled to entirely comprehend their motivations and actions. Added to this were the very raw and graphic scenes which in general I’m not a fan of in any case but which without generating the sort of sympathy they were supposed to (at least for me) resulted in that content almost taking over the book. The abuse, the misogyny, the racism are meant to disturb, no doubt, and they do, but without that connect with the characters, for me they lost some their power and the effect they could have had (not to say that I didn’t detest the slimy characters we come across).
What kept me reading despite the aforementioned almost DNFing was the first hint to the connections between the women we are reading of and which immediately lead one to work the links out as the stories start to interweave with one another. One can guess some things (confirmed as one reads on) but not all the reasons or explanations or even know the actions of some of the other characters that led things to be as they turned out, and it seems I did want to find out.
Post that 60-ish per cent mark, things got better as the stories took a turn from the characters simply drifting to finding connections, ones that start to reveal things not known, to bring answers to questions that had been long hanging and which start to, beneath the surface, heal. So at least as things come to a close, there is hope—not of things becoming whole again may be but at least some of the pieces coming together.
But despite this, it didn’t make up for it all. I’m pretty much in the minority on this one, but the book just didn’t do much for me.
March 28, 2025
A book as beautiful as it is frustrating. As cutting and raw as it is bright and meaningful. I loved and hated this book. It made me consider aspects of my own life, particularly as a man. It made me check whether my wife feels loved and cherished and supported. It made me think of how I would be as a father. It made me think of ex girlfriends long gone.
I think the book is actually best described using a model that we tap into in systemic Therapy, the LUUUUTT model:
LIVED: what stories have we lived?
UNTOLD: of what we have lived, what have we not told?
UNHEARD: are there stories we have tried to tell which have gone unheard?
UNTELLABLE: are there stories from our lives that we cannot tell?
UNKNOWN: are there stories in our lives which are unknown or unknowable to us?
TELLING STORIES: how do we tell stories?
TOLD STORIES: what stories have we told?
Every family has these. Every couple does. Every friendship and relationship does. But I have not seen a book so masterfully cover this. The secrets, the untellable truths, the lies, the things left unsaid, they are at the beating heart of this book, and they resonate oh so strongly.
The book also covers the impacts of family secrets, of sexual violence against women, of infidelity, of post natal depression, of racism, of internalised homophobia, of self harm, of sex work, of bicultural identity, of acculturation, and oh so much more.
The book covers how important it is to find belonging, especially as a 'Mongrel'. Which means many different things. The part that resonated with me, was about being bicultural. I too once tried to hide elements of my cultural identity to fit in. No more. But I too went through a journey of rediscovery, to find the beauty of my language, religion and culture.
The book also speaks poignantly about the plethora of ways that men hurt women. Absent fathers, exploitative sexual relationships, sexual assault, taking children away, and so many other things. It made me think about how important it is to raise my sons correctly (if I have them). The characters in this book were so deserving of love and respect, but the men in this book (and actually, a lot of the women), did not provide either of those things.
The depiction of sex work in the book was really interesting, and I loved the humanisation of sex workers. The parts about finding belonging, meaning, home, family and respect for oneself were beautiful.
The narrative tapestry of the book weaves together the multiple viewpoints very masterfully, and the plot twists and turns are wonderful and surprising. The story is very often gut wrenching and bleak, and the ending is satisfying.
I think the book was a little crass for me though. Perhaps I am a bit prude? I don't understand why on at least two occasions, when we read of deeply emotional story beats, we tangent to pubic hair? Or why there needed to be discussions of mosquitos being squished, bile, vomit and so on. The emphasis on nakedness, was interesting, but I will chalk it down to cultural differences. The coming of age aspects were honestly a little weird to me too, but we move.
To keep it 100 I also dislike Surrey and the private school vibe and I can't act like it didn't affect my feelings towards the book.
The book was often just shy of emotional and meaningful moments, as if it was too worried to bring very lengthily built emotional climaxes to their peak and conclusion. Like Westerners, worried about being emotionally expressive in public.
Overall, I loved much of the book but would recommend it to very specific friends and not others.
I think the book is actually best described using a model that we tap into in systemic Therapy, the LUUUUTT model:
LIVED: what stories have we lived?
UNTOLD: of what we have lived, what have we not told?
UNHEARD: are there stories we have tried to tell which have gone unheard?
UNTELLABLE: are there stories from our lives that we cannot tell?
UNKNOWN: are there stories in our lives which are unknown or unknowable to us?
TELLING STORIES: how do we tell stories?
TOLD STORIES: what stories have we told?
Every family has these. Every couple does. Every friendship and relationship does. But I have not seen a book so masterfully cover this. The secrets, the untellable truths, the lies, the things left unsaid, they are at the beating heart of this book, and they resonate oh so strongly.
The book also covers the impacts of family secrets, of sexual violence against women, of infidelity, of post natal depression, of racism, of internalised homophobia, of self harm, of sex work, of bicultural identity, of acculturation, and oh so much more.
The book covers how important it is to find belonging, especially as a 'Mongrel'. Which means many different things. The part that resonated with me, was about being bicultural. I too once tried to hide elements of my cultural identity to fit in. No more. But I too went through a journey of rediscovery, to find the beauty of my language, religion and culture.
The book also speaks poignantly about the plethora of ways that men hurt women. Absent fathers, exploitative sexual relationships, sexual assault, taking children away, and so many other things. It made me think about how important it is to raise my sons correctly (if I have them). The characters in this book were so deserving of love and respect, but the men in this book (and actually, a lot of the women), did not provide either of those things.
The depiction of sex work in the book was really interesting, and I loved the humanisation of sex workers. The parts about finding belonging, meaning, home, family and respect for oneself were beautiful.
The narrative tapestry of the book weaves together the multiple viewpoints very masterfully, and the plot twists and turns are wonderful and surprising. The story is very often gut wrenching and bleak, and the ending is satisfying.
I think the book was a little crass for me though. Perhaps I am a bit prude? I don't understand why on at least two occasions, when we read of deeply emotional story beats, we tangent to pubic hair? Or why there needed to be discussions of mosquitos being squished, bile, vomit and so on. The emphasis on nakedness, was interesting, but I will chalk it down to cultural differences. The coming of age aspects were honestly a little weird to me too, but we move.
To keep it 100 I also dislike Surrey and the private school vibe and I can't act like it didn't affect my feelings towards the book.
The book was often just shy of emotional and meaningful moments, as if it was too worried to bring very lengthily built emotional climaxes to their peak and conclusion. Like Westerners, worried about being emotionally expressive in public.
Overall, I loved much of the book but would recommend it to very specific friends and not others.
March 30, 2024
“Mongrel" by Hanako Footman is a beautiful debut novel that had captivated me from start to end. With lyrical prose and masterful characterisation, Footman weaves a story that explores themes of heritage, identity, and hope.
From the very start, Footman draws readers into the lives of three seemingly unconnected women whose paths gradually converge in unexpected ways. Mei, grappling with the loss of her Japanese mother, struggles with the suppression of her heritage while living in Surrey, England. She begins to navigate the complexities of her own identity, heritage, and sexuality. Yuki, pursues her dreams of becoming a violinist, embarking on a journey from her Japanese countryside town to London, only to find herself charmed by an older mentor instead. Meanwhile, Haruka tries to find herself while working as a hostess in Tokyo's nightlife scene, grappled with grief, and searching for meaning from her mother's passing.
As these stories intertwine and intersect, Footman explores the threads that bind us together, illuminating the importance and complexities of human connection. The lyrical writing style brings these stories to life, displaying an understanding on female loneliness and desire, and how the three women grapple with finding their own identities.
“Mongrel” has been my favourite read of this year so far, and is a novel that will linger with me for a long time yet. A novel that touches on the relationships of mothers, daughters and sisters, as well as the consequences of racism and misogyny. Though not always an easy read, it’s one worth taking your time and soaking up all the words, as you begin to understand the different experiences faced by the three central women. Highly recommend for readers who are looking for a beautiful and captivating read
April 17, 2024
Have you ever had a book that just hits all the wrong notes for you? This was that book for me.
On paper, I should have loved this but where others say a beautiful violin solo, all I heard was screeching.
This is the most overwritten book I’ve encountered in recent memory. There are odd descriptions, strange language choices, and the author sacrifices coherent for arty. Jarringly juxtaposed with purple prose, we have violent, gratuitous, and excessive descriptions of bodily fluids amid bodily violence. There was a truly excessive preoccupation with vividly describing urination, snot, and body parts. Most of the time, it didn’t add anything; instead, it was there for shock value that felt gross. The comments about self-harm being something young girls do for attention and as a “rite of passage” were uncomfortable and the internalized misogyny really hard to stomach. There was an overt current of violence throughout the book: excessive sexual violence, misogyny, racism, self-harm, and trauma. It read like trauma porn. And I can’t help but feel the flowery, overwrought prose was trying to compete with this. The whole thing was, well, an unpleasant, almost voyeuristic, and relentlessly violent experience. Honestly, I spent most of the time reading it grimacing and mentally bracing for impact.
Sigh. Colour me disappointed.
On paper, I should have loved this but where others say a beautiful violin solo, all I heard was screeching.
This is the most overwritten book I’ve encountered in recent memory. There are odd descriptions, strange language choices, and the author sacrifices coherent for arty. Jarringly juxtaposed with purple prose, we have violent, gratuitous, and excessive descriptions of bodily fluids amid bodily violence. There was a truly excessive preoccupation with vividly describing urination, snot, and body parts. Most of the time, it didn’t add anything; instead, it was there for shock value that felt gross. The comments about self-harm being something young girls do for attention and as a “rite of passage” were uncomfortable and the internalized misogyny really hard to stomach. There was an overt current of violence throughout the book: excessive sexual violence, misogyny, racism, self-harm, and trauma. It read like trauma porn. And I can’t help but feel the flowery, overwrought prose was trying to compete with this. The whole thing was, well, an unpleasant, almost voyeuristic, and relentlessly violent experience. Honestly, I spent most of the time reading it grimacing and mentally bracing for impact.
Sigh. Colour me disappointed.
September 6, 2024
If the male gaze ever had a “sad female gaze” equivalent…
The majority of male characters we meet in this novel are manipulative, sex crazed animals who just want to stick their cocks into our female protagonists. 80% of the novel seems to portray the story of how men are the root cause of suffering for all our protagonists, for seducing them then abandoning them and cheating on them, for using them as emotional and sexual punching bags, to downright assaulting them. Our female protagonists are weak. They submit to these advances, and then we read chapters upon chapters of how they wallow in guilt and misery and shame.
While I agree that the prose is extremely beautiful here with a clever plot twist at the end, overall Mongrel just reeks of an Euphoria-esque sob story that relies on, or in some way normalizes, teens cutting themselves, sleeping around and doing coke on keys to escape their trauma.
This is a shame because Footman’s writing is lyrical, and parts that didn’t rely on overtly “tragic but beautiful” stereotypes were wonderfully nuanced.
The majority of male characters we meet in this novel are manipulative, sex crazed animals who just want to stick their cocks into our female protagonists. 80% of the novel seems to portray the story of how men are the root cause of suffering for all our protagonists, for seducing them then abandoning them and cheating on them, for using them as emotional and sexual punching bags, to downright assaulting them. Our female protagonists are weak. They submit to these advances, and then we read chapters upon chapters of how they wallow in guilt and misery and shame.
While I agree that the prose is extremely beautiful here with a clever plot twist at the end, overall Mongrel just reeks of an Euphoria-esque sob story that relies on, or in some way normalizes, teens cutting themselves, sleeping around and doing coke on keys to escape their trauma.
This is a shame because Footman’s writing is lyrical, and parts that didn’t rely on overtly “tragic but beautiful” stereotypes were wonderfully nuanced.
February 9, 2025
5 🌟
It was heartbreaking but beautiful! The writing was gorgeous and there are a variety of issues covered in this story. It definitely wasn't always easy to read, so I would check the trigger warnings if you think that would be useful. But I love how the three perspectives/storylines unfolded and intertwined. I found the female voices in this to be inspiring and to subtly break down some stereotypes.
Might be my favourite read of the year so far :)
•••
“Resentment is how Yuki would later describe it. A worming, festering resentment that has no beginning and no close. A slow drip of daily oversights: questions unasked, dishes unwashed, skin untouched. It creeps over her, clouding her day to day.
A canopy of grievances grown in the absence of love.”
“It is a strange thing, how a room during the day will not touch you, but as soon as the night falls it opens up to you in ways that are disturbing.”
It was heartbreaking but beautiful! The writing was gorgeous and there are a variety of issues covered in this story. It definitely wasn't always easy to read, so I would check the trigger warnings if you think that would be useful. But I love how the three perspectives/storylines unfolded and intertwined. I found the female voices in this to be inspiring and to subtly break down some stereotypes.
Might be my favourite read of the year so far :)
•••
“Resentment is how Yuki would later describe it. A worming, festering resentment that has no beginning and no close. A slow drip of daily oversights: questions unasked, dishes unwashed, skin untouched. It creeps over her, clouding her day to day.
A canopy of grievances grown in the absence of love.”
“It is a strange thing, how a room during the day will not touch you, but as soon as the night falls it opens up to you in ways that are disturbing.”
April 27, 2024
My favourite read of the year so far. Hanako is so fucking clever and eloquent!!!! I’m so moved by her protagonists and so furious at the world!!!! Devastating, powerful… I gasped many times, especially at lines like this:
“After the ceremony, in the soft lighting of the bathroom, pissing out his fourth mimosa, he’ll think of her as he wipes his urine from the toilet seat. He’ll think about how she’d always berate him for leaving the drips un-wiped, and he’ll thank Yuki for making him a better man, a better husband. He’ll throw the wet tissue in the basin and flush it down, along with his gratitude.”
“After the ceremony, in the soft lighting of the bathroom, pissing out his fourth mimosa, he’ll think of her as he wipes his urine from the toilet seat. He’ll think about how she’d always berate him for leaving the drips un-wiped, and he’ll thank Yuki for making him a better man, a better husband. He’ll throw the wet tissue in the basin and flush it down, along with his gratitude.”
December 12, 2025
Dnf it just didn’t hold my attention and I got bored
October 13, 2024
“Wise is a man that stumbles upon death and does not run; but stoops down in humility - and discovers what he values.”
This was an interesting read, unlike anything I’ve been reading this year.
We learn about 3 women, their journeys and experiences with love and heartbreak, motherhood, being a daughter, a friend, a lover, a talent and a failure..
It’s everything you could possibly think of in the female experience; from teenage aches, longing for a father, seeking him out through all your years, wanting to belong, to be understood, to be protected… Caring more, doing more, comparison and rage and deep understanding…
To be a woman seems to be sort of like experiencing great love.
It comes with this profound grief (like when who we love is gone).
But, the pain and grief are worth it; for the incredible, miraculous beauty that we also get to have.
There’s nothing like it, and it hurts, but it’s special and wonderful.. almost like it’s the cost for this great gift.
I think this book portrayed that beautifully.
This was an interesting read, unlike anything I’ve been reading this year.
We learn about 3 women, their journeys and experiences with love and heartbreak, motherhood, being a daughter, a friend, a lover, a talent and a failure..
It’s everything you could possibly think of in the female experience; from teenage aches, longing for a father, seeking him out through all your years, wanting to belong, to be understood, to be protected… Caring more, doing more, comparison and rage and deep understanding…
To be a woman seems to be sort of like experiencing great love.
It comes with this profound grief (like when who we love is gone).
But, the pain and grief are worth it; for the incredible, miraculous beauty that we also get to have.
There’s nothing like it, and it hurts, but it’s special and wonderful.. almost like it’s the cost for this great gift.
I think this book portrayed that beautifully.
January 13, 2025
que bonito, he acabado con dolor de cabeza porque me he puesto muy triste ❤️🩹
me parece una novela debut preciosa, contada a través de tres puntos de vista y capítulos muy cortitos que ayudan a una lectura amena. creo que en cuanto a contenido, hay muchas temáticas sobre las cuales suelo leer mucho, pero lo que lo hace especial es que el lenguaje está cuidadísimo. hay partes preciosas de verdad.
el libro va en crescendo y el último tercio es sin duda lo mejor y lo que lo hace más único.
por qué no 5 estrellas? porque a mi parecer tiene fallitos en la estructura y a veces se para de más en partes que no aportan mucho. pero es una historia muy bonita, muy delicada y triste ❤️🩹
me parece una novela debut preciosa, contada a través de tres puntos de vista y capítulos muy cortitos que ayudan a una lectura amena. creo que en cuanto a contenido, hay muchas temáticas sobre las cuales suelo leer mucho, pero lo que lo hace especial es que el lenguaje está cuidadísimo. hay partes preciosas de verdad.
el libro va en crescendo y el último tercio es sin duda lo mejor y lo que lo hace más único.
por qué no 5 estrellas? porque a mi parecer tiene fallitos en la estructura y a veces se para de más en partes que no aportan mucho. pero es una historia muy bonita, muy delicada y triste ❤️🩹
September 2, 2024
ça a bien pleuré
4.5 - parce que j'ai pas trop aimé le tournant un peu mystique que prenait l'écriture dans la deuxième moitié
4.5 - parce que j'ai pas trop aimé le tournant un peu mystique que prenait l'écriture dans la deuxième moitié
April 7, 2025
A thought provoking book, found myself relating to the characters as British born Chinese (this is based on Japanese).
A must read for anyone that enjoys a book on themes of identity, motherhood, otherness and finding acceptance.
Hanako Footman does a splendid job of capturing emotions and describing things in a way that's so poetic, despite the heavy themes going on.
I don't normally highlight on my kindle but here's a few:
''Maybe when words failed me, he used the silences to touch me. Maybe that is all he wanted. A silent girl with worship in her eyes.''
''She doesn’t want to attach herself to an outsider, when she herself already feels so other.''
''Wise is the man that stumbles upon death and does not run, but stoops down in humility and discovers what he values.''
A must read for anyone that enjoys a book on themes of identity, motherhood, otherness and finding acceptance.
Hanako Footman does a splendid job of capturing emotions and describing things in a way that's so poetic, despite the heavy themes going on.
I don't normally highlight on my kindle but here's a few:
''Maybe when words failed me, he used the silences to touch me. Maybe that is all he wanted. A silent girl with worship in her eyes.''
''She doesn’t want to attach herself to an outsider, when she herself already feels so other.''
''Wise is the man that stumbles upon death and does not run, but stoops down in humility and discovers what he values.''
March 17, 2024
This is so good! Just finished reading, I will go to a corner savor it and I will be back for a review.
July 14, 2025
A 6 star read, one of my new favourite books of all time
March 4, 2024
This book was such a drag, and let me tell you: did it drag on. 3 star rating, but actual rating 2.75.
I don't usually put out trigger warnings in my reviews, but there are several (fairly) graphic scenes of sexual assault and self harm. Decent amount of racism and misogyny too. I read mostly dark and disturbing content and this book was just not entertaining to read at almost any given point. All the crazy and terrible things happening to these characters, while being very much real life issues that women go through, felt like unnecessary trauma porn to me at times. This book was a lot to get through. Anyway.
That said, I do love Asian literary fiction, so much so that I'd probably say it's been my favorite thing to read for most of the past year: this is basically my soul food. Unfortunately, while Mongrel has literally everything you could expect in an Asian literary story (even including the excessive drinking and copious descriptions of nature and food), it doesn't serve the story well because there simply isn't enough room for the themes to be explored properly. Especially not when there are three main characters with very different experiences and they get disproportionate time to have their stories and perspectives told.
The main character of this novel is mixed race and queer, and as a queer mixed race person myself, I adore stories where people go back to their roots and discover who they are, but that isn't really the crux of this story, at least not for most of it. The main issue in the first half of the book is the queer character's obsession and pining over her best friend who doesn't fully respect and love her back the way that she needs. Literally been there done that myself, but I've seen it explored far better in different Asian books. And that's basically how I view this entire novel: I've just read lots of books that discuss the same or similar topics but were executed much better.
That being said, I think Footman simply bit off way more than she could chew. I could list at least a dozen Asian books that focus on one or two of the topics presented in this book, or use the multiple character approach to tackle the themes in nuanced ways, and they all do it way better because they were more focused and concise. There is a good story here at its heart, but the writing isn't strong or consistent enough to carry everything presented here.
On a positive note, my favorite part of the book was the three stories from a Japanese collection of fairy tales that the author included from the MC's childhood. I don't know if they're real Japanese fairy tales, or inspired by something, but they were very well written and I wish there had been more and had been given more of a thematic through line for the story. That one of the main characters is a sex worker in Tokyo was also something I liked, and I wish that had been given more time and emphasis in the story. A decent enough debut effort here - I think Footman has it in her to do better in the future.
I don't usually put out trigger warnings in my reviews, but there are several (fairly) graphic scenes of sexual assault and self harm. Decent amount of racism and misogyny too. I read mostly dark and disturbing content and this book was just not entertaining to read at almost any given point. All the crazy and terrible things happening to these characters, while being very much real life issues that women go through, felt like unnecessary trauma porn to me at times. This book was a lot to get through. Anyway.
That said, I do love Asian literary fiction, so much so that I'd probably say it's been my favorite thing to read for most of the past year: this is basically my soul food. Unfortunately, while Mongrel has literally everything you could expect in an Asian literary story (even including the excessive drinking and copious descriptions of nature and food), it doesn't serve the story well because there simply isn't enough room for the themes to be explored properly. Especially not when there are three main characters with very different experiences and they get disproportionate time to have their stories and perspectives told.
The main character of this novel is mixed race and queer, and as a queer mixed race person myself, I adore stories where people go back to their roots and discover who they are, but that isn't really the crux of this story, at least not for most of it. The main issue in the first half of the book is the queer character's obsession and pining over her best friend who doesn't fully respect and love her back the way that she needs. Literally been there done that myself, but I've seen it explored far better in different Asian books. And that's basically how I view this entire novel: I've just read lots of books that discuss the same or similar topics but were executed much better.
That being said, I think Footman simply bit off way more than she could chew. I could list at least a dozen Asian books that focus on one or two of the topics presented in this book, or use the multiple character approach to tackle the themes in nuanced ways, and they all do it way better because they were more focused and concise. There is a good story here at its heart, but the writing isn't strong or consistent enough to carry everything presented here.
On a positive note, my favorite part of the book was the three stories from a Japanese collection of fairy tales that the author included from the MC's childhood. I don't know if they're real Japanese fairy tales, or inspired by something, but they were very well written and I wish there had been more and had been given more of a thematic through line for the story. That one of the main characters is a sex worker in Tokyo was also something I liked, and I wish that had been given more time and emphasis in the story. A decent enough debut effort here - I think Footman has it in her to do better in the future.
January 17, 2025
I think the author sometimes loves the sound of her own writing too much (seemed seriously overwritten in parts and came off as a bit self indulgent and wankery) and sometimes hates men too much, but other than that, I really enjoyed this!
To expand on my last point, I felt like the book treats all men as slightly animalistic r*pists, and it came off as misandrist rage bait sometimes. I wish the book had treated at least some male characters with the same level of nuance and complexity that the female characters had. Most importantly, this would have made the book better and even more interesting! But as well as this, feel like the message that men are simple but violent creatures that have strong urges they can't control is kind of outdated and reductive. It's also a poor message for a book that seemed like it was aiming to be highbrow with all its high IQ language haha. I don't think the author should have showed off all this fancy writing whilst also going for the low hanging fruit so much lol. Felt like a slightly cheap way to get ppl to like the book, which was a shame because it was unnecessary, as the book would have been great enough without it.
Despite that, really enjoyed the story and couldn't put it down! It was very engrossing. The main characters were great and really liked the themes of mixed race, belonging and white worship. Some of the descriptions of how the characters were feeling were really vivid too. Despite being too overwritten at times, the writing often worked really well and I still highly recommend it!
To expand on my last point, I felt like the book treats all men as slightly animalistic r*pists, and it came off as misandrist rage bait sometimes. I wish the book had treated at least some male characters with the same level of nuance and complexity that the female characters had. Most importantly, this would have made the book better and even more interesting! But as well as this, feel like the message that men are simple but violent creatures that have strong urges they can't control is kind of outdated and reductive. It's also a poor message for a book that seemed like it was aiming to be highbrow with all its high IQ language haha. I don't think the author should have showed off all this fancy writing whilst also going for the low hanging fruit so much lol. Felt like a slightly cheap way to get ppl to like the book, which was a shame because it was unnecessary, as the book would have been great enough without it.
Despite that, really enjoyed the story and couldn't put it down! It was very engrossing. The main characters were great and really liked the themes of mixed race, belonging and white worship. Some of the descriptions of how the characters were feeling were really vivid too. Despite being too overwritten at times, the writing often worked really well and I still highly recommend it!
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March 31, 2024
Through exceedingly beautiful prose, Mongrel weaves together the stories of three Women. Mei, living in Surrey, who after the death of her mother at aged six, yearns to find herself and a connection to another. Yuki who leaves her rural lifestyle in Japan to pursue her dreams of being a concert violinist in London. There she falls in love with her tutor which alters the course of her life. And finally, Haruka who seemingly lost herself, navigates Tokyo’s busy nightlife as a hostess in the sex district. She is reeling from the anguish of the many secrets her mother hid from her. All women are desperate to find their belonging, wherever that may be.
This is not an easy read, but it’s easily one of the best books I’ve ever read. It’s heartbreakingly beautiful and handles many difficult themes with tender care and honesty, such as: dual-heritage, racism, loss, marriage and motherhood.
Totally wowed me. It’s been over a month since I finished this one and I struggled putting my thoughts into words.
This is not an easy read, but it’s easily one of the best books I’ve ever read. It’s heartbreakingly beautiful and handles many difficult themes with tender care and honesty, such as: dual-heritage, racism, loss, marriage and motherhood.
Totally wowed me. It’s been over a month since I finished this one and I struggled putting my thoughts into words.
November 19, 2024
On paper this had potential. However it was an absolute slog to finish. There were so many content warnings that if I'd have known I wouldn't have picked this up - rape, sexual assault, self harm, racism, homphobia, abuse, alcoholism, parental death.
I found the graphic depictions of self harm almost sickening and described as a teenage rite of passage just did not sit well with me.
This, as other reviews have described it was just pure 'trauma porn'. It was so overwritten, with emphasis on weirdly specific details like descriptions of snot and urination almost for the shock factor? Idk what they were trying to achieve.
Written in flowery prose to make it sound literary but at its core it is a really unpleasant, voyeuristic, grotesque book. 2 🌟 (even 2 seems generous.. genuinely maybe more a 1)
I found the graphic depictions of self harm almost sickening and described as a teenage rite of passage just did not sit well with me.
This, as other reviews have described it was just pure 'trauma porn'. It was so overwritten, with emphasis on weirdly specific details like descriptions of snot and urination almost for the shock factor? Idk what they were trying to achieve.
Written in flowery prose to make it sound literary but at its core it is a really unpleasant, voyeuristic, grotesque book. 2 🌟 (even 2 seems generous.. genuinely maybe more a 1)
September 15, 2025
I absolutely adored this story. Thank you to my friend for bringing this one to my attention.
The portrayal of these women - their struggles, their pain, their love, and most importantly, their resilience and survival - was executed beautifully.
The narrative is both challenging and touching, encompassing themes of love, loss, grief, and finding yourself in a world of the unknown.
It's simply stunning, and I believe everyone should experience it at least once! I savored every moment of this read, and I'm so glad I did; even after reaching the end, I found myself wanting more!
This book has easily become one of my all-time favorites!
Months later I still think about this book.
The portrayal of these women - their struggles, their pain, their love, and most importantly, their resilience and survival - was executed beautifully.
The narrative is both challenging and touching, encompassing themes of love, loss, grief, and finding yourself in a world of the unknown.
It's simply stunning, and I believe everyone should experience it at least once! I savored every moment of this read, and I'm so glad I did; even after reaching the end, I found myself wanting more!
This book has easily become one of my all-time favorites!
Months later I still think about this book.
September 22, 2025
My heart aches… beautifully written, sad so very sad, I need a break…
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