Royals

by Emma Forrest, Finlay Robertson (Narrator)

Devastating and dazzling, Royals is the story of an unlikely friendship set against the intoxicating colour and headiness of 1980s London. Radio 2 Book Club Pick.

July, 1981. London. Shy, working-class Steven finds solace in beauty. Eighteen years old, he dreams of being a fashion designer. He's also gay, maybe - he hasn't decided yet. There's a lot Steven isn't sure about, like whether he hates himself or thinks he's amazing.

When he ends up in hospital after being brutally attacked by his father, he meets Jasmine, an heiress. Intoxicating, anarchic, fabulous Jasmine. Fuelled by their shared love of fashion, a friendship blossoms and soon, Steven finds himself swept into her hedonistic world, wholly beguiled. However, underneath the glitter and the frivolity, darkness lies.

Devastating, dazzling, queer and radical, Royals is a love story between unlikely friends from completely different worlds. It's about the power of art to transform lives and the power of families to destroy them. It's about working out who you are and what you want. It's a tale of giddy happiness, crushing lows and, ultimately, the fragility of lives lived too fast.

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, LGBT, British Literature, London, Queer

Audible Audio

First published October 31, 2019

About the author

Emma Forrest is a British-American journalist, novelist and screenwriter. She currently resides in Los Angeles, CA.

Reviews

[Alex Sarll]

Back around the turn of the millennium, I used to say that Forrest's Namedropper was one of only two realist novels worth a damn to come out in the nineties. The foolish bravado of a young man, obviously; with hindsight there might be as many as ten. And yet I completely failed to keep up with her subsequent work, possibly because none of it was about someone obsessed with a thinly-veiled Richey Manic. Somehow, though, the description of this one on Netgalley got me back. And it is very much a recognisable relative; our young narrator this time may be a probably-gay boy rather than a straight-ish girl, but the Elizabeth Taylor obsession is still there, as is the knack for aphoristic observations like "jumpsuits are disingenuous beasts; they pretend they're covering you when they actually reveal just about everything, like someone who says 'I don't like to gossip!'" His early life is far from original: born to a nurturing but downtrodden Jewish mother, a violent and resentful father, one of the latter's tantrums lands Steven in hospital, where he meets an impossibly rich, elegant and artfully crazy posh girl, Jasmine, fresh from her latest overdose (but the first one she really meant). So she's skinny, contradictory, smokes too much, and is fucked-up in the sort of way that seems glamorous when you're young? Yeah, perhaps a few parallels with Namedropper's object of fascination there, too. Plus the divide in social echelon, Steven's fascination not just with Jasmine but with her house and family, sets up an obvious note of Brideshead, which if you place it in the eighties (the backdrop, and the title, come from Charles and Diana's wedding and honeymoon) means you also get a reflected echo of The Line of Beauty. One exchange sums up their inspirational, doomed friendship/love/folie à deux:
"'You don't have to be up close to everything, not every single thing.'
She made a face. "Yes I do."'
And in a sense, you could say the relationship at the core of the book is the book in hologram; Jasmine brings out the fascinating core in the apparently mundane Steven, just as Forrest brings out the glittering fascination lying dormant in a story we feel we've seen too often before. Both of them do remarkable work.

[Roman Clodia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is very good at evoking a moment in the 1980s when Diana had just married Charles. Working-class teenager Steven becomes insta-best friends with posh, wealthy Jasmine but their hedonism hides an uglier reality. Packed with cultural references and glamorous titbits, this is a lively read but it does feel a bit directionless. Jasmine is so 'on' all the time, so super-smart, super-witty that she becomes wearying to read at times. Steven, is a good foil: quieter, modest, observational, analytical - he tempers some of the high octane Jasmine-ness, even though he goes on to become a world-famous designer. With its commentary on class, money, dreams, illusions, there is more than just glitz here.

[Emilie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book read like tired young adult fiction feat manic pixie dream girl trope and romanticised suicide. Neither character was plausible, complex or well-developed. The narration was stodgy and monotonous.

[Chittajit Mitra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating : 3.5/5

The story revolves around Steven, an introvert teenager who is still confused whether he is gay or not living in London in 1981. The story is told from our protagonist’s PoV & that’s how we come to know how he lived with his family where once his abusive father beats him up on the day of Charles & Diana’s wedding celebration and as a result he ends up in hospital. There he gets to meet Jasmine who was there after a failed suicide attempt. From there their story starts. But where will it go?
Full review on Just Another Bookaholic

[Karin.gry · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a book where I don’t buy any of the characters or anything that is happening. It would perhaps work as a play, a musical, a movie, but it doesn’t work to me as novel.

It romanticises suicide and writes about incredibly dark topics in an overly cheerful and naive manner. It mixes childhood trauma, abuse and extremely tragic life stories with constant comments about fashion and “funny symbolism”. I haven’t read anything like it. Forrest has clearly found her own way of writing, but I’m half disgusted half just not buying it.

Still, the use of reoccurring symbolism and the painting of the characters is effective. The dramaturgy works, and the ending has something to it. Based on this, I think the novel succeeds in conveying what the author is aiming at. It’s well written for what it is. But I’m not buying it.

[James Cross · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dazzling, inventive and layered this is witty, poignant and incisive. Cleverly evoking the early 1980's, peppered with cultural references, but not to the degree to take you from the story.

The writing and dialogue is clever without being showy and literary without sacrificing readability.

There are some unlikely vaguely operatic twists towards the end, but they are in keeping with the heightened period of Steven and Jasmine's lives.

The release date of October is a puzzle as it's the perfect summer read, perfect for hazy days in a city park with a glass of champagne in honour of Jasmine, and potted meat sandwiches for Steven.

[Joanne Lusher · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED this! Written in first person - check, no over complicated storyline - check, introspective, reflective - check, insightful and clever characterisation - check, beautifully written - check, dark - check check! These are all my fave elements to any book. Plus it’s set in the 80s! Win! Really enjoyed this... off to hunt out more by the author now.

[Gill Hutchison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it as much as Normal People

[Caroline Barron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Does it mean something that, as I was walking out the library door holding Royals, a woman in a mint green dress peppered with dried grass—as if she'd been rolling down a hill—took my arm and said: "Is that you, Lady Di?"

Anyhow, community weirdness and mistaken identity aside, I LOVED THIS 1980s, queer Breakfast at Tiffany's. Especially Asperger's-y Steven. Forrest writes unique voices like Kate Bush sings high notes. Thanks Gill Hutchison for the (as usual) en pointe recommendation.

Fav quotes:
SO MANY great quotes, here goes:

But how many of us have at some point rued that something challenging should happen 'today of all days'? And the universe says: 'Yes. Today's the day.' You cannot plead. It will not reschedule. It is the universe. — Page 5

But that's how I saw my mother. The nails and the hair were the nod to polite society; the tracksuit was for the moment polite society falls apart and you need to run. — page 16

I got some dirty looks and some interest and that's how it's continued for the rest of my life, if I'm honest. That thirty-eight-minute bus ride was every response I'd ever elicit, encapsulated within one double-decker. — page 57.

'Debbie Harry is so beautiful,' Jasmine whispered as she started to get sleepy, 'that if I ever saw her walk into a room, I would need to stand up and applaud.' — page 72

It was sensory overload—to be loved, to be heartbroken, to be astonished by art, to be inspired and devastated by it, to want to end it all, to want to live for ever. —page 182

'Feminists? Courage to be?' Mum looked alarmed, like she was already foreseeing having to get her dustpan and brush and clean up the shattered patriarchy so no one got a sliver of it in their foot. — p197/198

I smiled and didn't say how absolutely terrified I was that I was eighteen years old and this trip might be the highlight of my life. — page 203.

That was the peril, designing became a way to always have an alternative narrative, a better, more beautiful ending. Experience strained through imaginations; my designs have always told, not so much the story of my life, but what I've wished my life could be. —page 223

Maybe there is not light at the end of the tunnel, and if that were the case, maybe you are the light. — page 245.

All the baths I'd taken in her presence and it culminated in a feeling of such derelict mental hygiene. It was the first clear moment I thought, 'This is a a sickness and it could infect me.' — page 280.

[Andi · Rating 2 out of 5]

A shallow story with flat characters and some historical references to anchor the book in the 80s but nothing else going for it. The manic pixie dream girl trope felt very contrived and I was bored quite quickly.

[Lauren Pike · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is just the most beautifully written story. The narrative voice is so well done - snarky and kind, funny and sad, all at once. I want to read it again already.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review also posted on www.themantovanis.blog

“Royals” is a novel by British-American writer and director Emma Forrest, published in 2019 by Bloomsbury UK.

London, 1981. Steven is an introvert teenager, who “hasn’t decided yet” whether he’s gay or not, with a love for fashion design: he lives in the East End of London with his brothers, his violent father and his beloved mother. During the celebrations for Diana and Charles’ wedding, his father beats him and lands him in a hospital; there, Steven meets the young heiress Jasmine, recovering from an attempted suicide. The two rapidly become friends and Jasmine introduces Steven to her luxurious but lonely life. Despite their differences, the two fall platonically in love with each other and seemed to be destined to a rosy future together… or not.

The novel is narrated through Steven’s point of view and he comes across as the most engaging and developed character: he is simultaneously insecure and confident his own talent as only teenagers can be, attached to his mother and desperate to find his independence. This is a coming of age novel, and I appreciated that the passage to maturity for Steven didn’t involve a refusal of his mother but a (re)discovery of her beauty and her potential buried under years of domestic abuse.

Jasmine is seen only through Steven’s eyes and she’s charming, elegant and damaged in a glamorous way: I admit that I often expected her to be somewhat volatile and unreliable in her affections, as it often happens in stories about people from different social classes, but Jasmine defies this prejudice, as she’s portrayed as ferociously loyal in her affections.

There’s a strong focus on parents, and the consequences of their upbringing: Jasmine’s mother committed suicide when she was younger, but she’s remembered as loving and nurturing, just like Steven’s mother, and you can see an echo of their positive influence in the kids’ behaviour.
I liked Steven’s mother very much: a son’s devotion to his mother is often portrayed as ridiculous, but in Steven’s case I thought it was endearing and, all things considered, quite relatable.
Fathers, on the other hand, are depicted much less favourably: Steven’s father is violent and resentful and only shows some humanity in flashbacks.
Jasmine’s father is a more prominent character: avoidant but unnervingly attractive, he’s depicted as a sensual and charming, but also disinterested in his own daughter, save for sporadic bursts of enthusiasm. Ultimately, I thought he was the most tragic figure of the book, well-meaning but incapable to meaningfully relate to his daughter’s needs.
The characters I enjoyed the most were Steven’s aunts, Edna and Marsha, who own the corset shop that has been in the family since 1880 and end up representing for Steven the bridge between his roots and his future.
Steven is Jewish and, even as a teenager, he’s very aware of the influence of his roots on his family: there are some very interesting reflections about how the trauma of the Holocaust is passed down through generations, influencing personal relationships and self-confidence even decades after its end.

The story is centered around a teenage love/friendship, and how it makes the two protagonists excited, brave and suddenly confident that everything is at reach when they are together.
The 80’s atmosphere is meticulously evoked with musical references (Blondie, Adam Ant and his stationery, Kate Bush, Siouxsie Sioux), fashion details, and gossips about the royals.
Steven’s personal aesthetic comes across as very well-defined, which makes him a convincing designer.
The writing is engaging and blends dry humour with deep, emotional thoughts.
In conclusion, I enjoyed this book very much and I recommend it to those who are looking for an unconventional love story and the nostalgic of the 80’s era.

[Stella Ottewill]

Quite disappointing. As a fan of Forrest’s earlier work, I found this overly self-indulgent. It seems that perhaps novels like Namedropper or Cherries in the Snow are tinged with self-consciousness, and having gained confidence the writing is no longer tempered, to its detriment.

[Katey Lovell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great sense of place and can see the Breakfast at Tiffany's comparison, but didn't care enough for the main characters to fully invest in their story.

[B.F. Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aaah the 80s.
Different times. Times of carefree materialism, decent airlines, spandex, groundbreaking bands and seasonal weather, a complete disregard for the environment and a good 7 minutes to go on the Doomsday clock.

Different, but similar as ever when it comes to teenage-hood and its anxieties and relationships.
In the summer of 1981, Stephen and Jasmine, respectively 18 and 19 years old, meet at the hospital in dramatic circumstances. She’s been trying (yet again) to kill herself and he’s been beaten up by his dad in front of the entire street party gathered to watch the royal wedding of Charles and Diana.
They soon become friends, a platonic, uncomplicated deep man-woman friendship that only occurs if one of the parties is gay, which Stephen is, though he claims he hasn’t decided yet. Jasmine and Stephen immediately start living in each other’s pockets, with Stephen spending less time at home not to see his dad and more time in Jasmine’s over-the-top Notting Hill mansion.

Jasmine is a rich as Stephen is working class which has turned her into a bored, promiscuous, coke-snorting socialite. Stephen, on the other hand, is a sheltered homebody and a virgin. Their friendship is based on a common fascination for the Royals, fashion, and 1960’s stars.
Their relationship is shadowed by Stephen’s concern that motherless Jasmine might try to “top herself off again“, his disdain -tinted with attraction- for her father, an elusive man that only comes to visit a couple of days here and there, making up for his absence with Duty-Free gifts and cocaine. Jasmine is as concerned by her friend, his abusive father, overbearing mother, and fact that he hasn’t yet had a sexual experience. Both are lonely, Jasmine’s loneliness exacerbated by the fact that she’s surrounded by acquaintances but no friends, and Stephen by lack of fitting in. They are also the children of broken families, comforting each other from their traumas.

Whilst the Royals honeymoon, the friendship blossoms into something very special, possibly a tad far-fetched for my cynical self, the level of intimacy they reach in such a short amount of time seeming a bit over the top.

The fact that Jasmine has a menial job in a tacky souvenir shop doesn’t seem to work with the rest of the narrative. But this can all be overlooked, for Emma Forrest’s style is both funny and touching, and the characters are well defined and compelling and their adventures intriguing and well-paced.

The story of Stephen and Jasmine is told retrospectively, through the eyes of a grown-up Stephen, his adult point of view and hindsight providing additional depth to the narrative.
With tenderness and humour throughout, and a blend of comical and dramatical situations leading to the unexpected ending, this tragi-comedy makes for a lovely coming-of-age read, and I could imagine would make a pretty decent movie too as the whirlwind story of Stephen and Jasmine is emotional, colourful and vibrant.

[Baani · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read fiction after a long time with this book and realized I missed it so much. It's well written and feels like one of those books that you dont finish in one sitting but actually read bit by bit everyday. I would wake up to 1,2, sometimes 3 chapters of this book and I'd always look forward to seeing what Jasmine now did. At one point, I found the glorification of Jasmine a bit much (especially considering the girl on the cover photo doesnt seem to do justice to the goddess they have described somehow) but I still think the writer has done a pretty solid job. Some of the observations are simply phenomenal. I had vowed not to take notes because it wastes too much time and I do too much of it but then in this case a few times it was hard not to because of the brilliance of the line or the observation. All in all, I'd recommend this for sure. You know the ending when you start reading but you read it for the great prose, the way you feel invested in the characters, the London references (I'm going there soon on my first trip so this feels like perfect timing too), the design references, song references, the way the "I havent decided yet if I'm gay but I know" feeling has been described, and eventually, the simplicity of it all. I'll read up other Emma Forrest stuff now!

[Emma Clarke · Rating 4 out of 5]

A hidden gem of a book that I absolutely adored. The relationship between Stephen and Jasmine is convincing and moving, and Forrest effectively undercuts the glamour of her subject matter with the reality of Jasmine’s mental troubles. I saw some criticism on goodreads of Jasmine being a manic pixie dream girl, but I think forest subverts this trope by giving her a proper backstory and character motivations, and through the earnestness and believability of her relationship with Stephen. And, although Forrest remains sympathetic to Jasmine throughout the novel, she doesn’t let her get away with being unreasonable or outright mean, something I find a lot of Manic Pixie Dream Girls never get held accountable for. The confusion and intensity of youth are really well articulated here, and the passion of their completely platonic friendship was really affecting.

[Jasmine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t think that i’ve ever felt so drawn to a book in my life. as soon as i opened the first page i was transfixed and in awe of how Emma can explore trauma and the effects of it while not making it a main focus of the story. Steven and Jasmine are polar opposites but in a way blend into one human being. you can see how they are reflected in one another’s eyes… truly an amazing tale that’s sparked my love for reading after 3 years of not being able to finish a book. i just wish that more people would read it so i can discuss it with others because not only is it a whole and wonderful story, it also has passages and pages i wish i could delve deeper into, and work out what they truly mean to me, as the reader.

[Rebecca Walsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's the romanticism of the writing that captures you. It's books like this and Your Voice in my head that have this almost lyrical, dreamy quality that carries you on a beautiful tidal wave. Stephen and Jasmine the two protagonists are vulnerable but so strong and this book is a memory trip for those of us who remember the 1980s. I listened to love will tear us apart after reading this. When she gets it right it's like hitting the right note. This book conveys feelings in you that you never knew existed - like your favourite song. A great read. She is a tour de force writer.

Not a fan of Busy Being Free ( not her best work ) by a long shot. But that's the only book of Emma Forrests that I disliked. This book Royals shows you her talent in her glory.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book took me forever to read, and I don’t know if it’s because the whole pandemic/state of the world thing has zapped my desire to read, or if because I just didn’t find it compelling enough to want to read.
Ultimately, I did enjoy the story and the characters, I think it just took a very long time to get there. I didn’t fall in love with them as quickly as they fell in love with each other.
I enjoy Emma Forrest’s writing, and she has a way of describing things that sound so beautiful and easy and obvious, yet that most people cannot do. The epitome of making something very hard look easy.

[Jazmin · Rating 2 out of 5]

The diet version of the book I wanted to read. The knock off, as opposed to the designer, which is appropriate for this book. Unfortunately, too shallow, too contrived and trying too hard to evoke charming characters and not actually doing effective characterisation. Telling, rather than showing. There were moments when it felt like it was getting there, but unfortunately they were often undermined by plot elements or characterisation that just dragged it down or made it look cheap.

[Edel Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5 - A chance meeting in a hospital leads to aspiring fashion designer Steven and intoxicating but troubled Jasmine to become best friends in the course of two weeks and change each other’s lives. Steven feels that he is homosexual but is not yet ready to act on it. Both have troubled home lives and complicated relationships with their fathers. The writing is stunningly beautiful and delves deep into what the friendship means to both of them.

[Lily Emerson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Emma Forrest is always over the top, always pushing the boundaries of credulity. Sadly, in this case, she doesn’t have the range to fully flesh out her narrator, the mushrooms are ridiculous, and a rose quartz coffin nearly pushed me over the fucking edge. Did I like this book? Yes. Is it her best work? Um. No.

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exquisite. Moving. Heartbreaking. Dazzling. What a ride. Beautifully written. This one will stay with me for a long time. Bravo Emma Forrest. Excuse me while I wipe away my tears. I hope Jasmine is looking down with pride at her Steven. Emma is a gifted writer. A beautiful, beautiful book. Playing Lorde's Royals in my head as I was reading as well my beloved Kate Bush. My heart.

[Michele Rios Petrelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't love this story as much as I did with Forrest's previous works, but the writing is always engaging, poignant and comical that moves me along. The wit, rawness, beauty of this blossoming relationship and the tragedy that follows suit, literally left me feeling melancholy, grieving for fictional people who feel close to your heart.

[Owain Price · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four stars. Would make a good movie. The writing wasn’t the smoothest but it did flow sometimes and I did feel there was some editing done that caused some important details to just disappear. Good front cover picture. Jasmine looks just like the girl in the picture and vice versa. I seem to remember characters like her in the eighties when I was at uni. Where are they now I wonder.

[Lauren Boyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just LOVED this book - funny, insightful, beautiful writing & just a tiny bit heartbreaking! Had to stop & hold it close to my heart after I finished it - will be looking into Emma's other books! Definitely recommended.

[ree · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very chaotic (as anticipated). Jasmine (FMC) definitely giving 80s sort of Alaska Young energy (even down to the ending). The storyline was good, I just found myself skimming at some parts due to lack of interest in some of the sub topics.

[Niamh Rind · Rating 2 out of 5]

found this book had such an interesting premise and had certain lines that were so profound and then bits that just felt so confusing and the timeline was bizarre not really sure how much i loved it really

[Jill Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rich, fun, fancy Jasmine meets Steven after a suicide attempt, Teaches Him Life Lesson, Dies Sadly and he Learns More. MPDG set in the early 80s.