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Smallie
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Expected 28 May 26In 1961, 19-year-old Lucinda Brown travels to England in search of her lover, Clarence Braithwaite, a jazz musician who left Barbados to join the British army. Aboard the ship to Southampton, Lucinda meets Raldo, a free-wheeling Trinidadian, who offers her the wild freedom that both her old life in Barbados and the life that awaits her in Britain lack. Driven by loyalty, and the memory of the little boy she left behind, she chooses Clarence – though soon realises that he is no longer the saxophonist she fell in love with, but a veteran at war with himself.
Fifty years later, Patrick Braithwaite, a father, husband, business owner and recovering alcoholic from Tottenham, has to rally his three siblings when their mother receives a letter from the Home Office that tears their life apart. They need to prove their mother’s legal arrival, to prevent her deportation, and to do that they need to find a man their mother once loved, known only by the name of Raldo…
Tender, rich and big-hearted, Smallie is a stunning British debut about three generations of a Bajan-British family affected by the Windrush scandal that will move, enrage and pull you in.
Fifty years later, Patrick Braithwaite, a father, husband, business owner and recovering alcoholic from Tottenham, has to rally his three siblings when their mother receives a letter from the Home Office that tears their life apart. They need to prove their mother’s legal arrival, to prevent her deportation, and to do that they need to find a man their mother once loved, known only by the name of Raldo…
Tender, rich and big-hearted, Smallie is a stunning British debut about three generations of a Bajan-British family affected by the Windrush scandal that will move, enrage and pull you in.
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Expected publication May 28, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
December 16, 2025
4.5
I loved this story.
Historical to present day fiction. This story, inspired by true events, addresses the UK Windrush Scandal and follows Lucinda, a 19 year old girl leaving Barbados in 1960s for the UK where she hopes to meet her lover, Clarence. Fast forward to the present day chapters, we follow Lucinda’s children, with a focus on her son Patrick, trying to prove his Mother’s legal entry into the UK, otherwise, she faces deportation.
It was so disheartening to read a story on a woman who was invited to the UK, only to be told that she was marked as being illegal. The writing is very descriptive, filled with beautiful sentences, vivid and immersive. The author does a fantastic job in conveying the effects on all parties involved in the scandal. I did initially struggle with the poetical writing style, however once I got into the flow, I adored this storytelling!
There are so many themes to unpack in this book but here is what stood out for me:
The immigrant experience is perfectly captured.
The relationships surrounding Lucinda. Particularly the chapters on her childhood and her father’s strict upbringing. The friendship dynamics with Sheila and love interests, Clarence & Raldo were elegantly composed.
Motherhood - Lucinda left a son in Barbados and her lack of communication with him weighed heavy on me.
How the effects of Lucinda’s potential deportation affected her children was well depicted.
The Bajan dialogue is outstanding and all the characters are realistic. A bittersweet ending, but for me, it was satisfying and heartwarming and an ending that I wanted!
I loved this story.
Historical to present day fiction. This story, inspired by true events, addresses the UK Windrush Scandal and follows Lucinda, a 19 year old girl leaving Barbados in 1960s for the UK where she hopes to meet her lover, Clarence. Fast forward to the present day chapters, we follow Lucinda’s children, with a focus on her son Patrick, trying to prove his Mother’s legal entry into the UK, otherwise, she faces deportation.
It was so disheartening to read a story on a woman who was invited to the UK, only to be told that she was marked as being illegal. The writing is very descriptive, filled with beautiful sentences, vivid and immersive. The author does a fantastic job in conveying the effects on all parties involved in the scandal. I did initially struggle with the poetical writing style, however once I got into the flow, I adored this storytelling!
There are so many themes to unpack in this book but here is what stood out for me:
The immigrant experience is perfectly captured.
The relationships surrounding Lucinda. Particularly the chapters on her childhood and her father’s strict upbringing. The friendship dynamics with Sheila and love interests, Clarence & Raldo were elegantly composed.
Motherhood - Lucinda left a son in Barbados and her lack of communication with him weighed heavy on me.
How the effects of Lucinda’s potential deportation affected her children was well depicted.
The Bajan dialogue is outstanding and all the characters are realistic. A bittersweet ending, but for me, it was satisfying and heartwarming and an ending that I wanted!
February 1, 2026
“The streets of London are filled with the phantom children of immigrants. When you see a mother without her child, recognise you are not seeing her. You are seeing limbs that do, eyes that see, and a mouth that says. But she is not there. She is wherever they are.”
Some people are born to write, and McKenzie-Goddard is one of those people. It is truly astonishing that Smallie is a debut, as novels like this do not come along every day. This book announces a remarkable new voice in British fiction, unravelling a story which, from the very outset, burns to be told.
Smallie follows the life of Lucinda Brown, a warm hearted and fiercely brave mother, who travels to England in 1961, in search of her lover and the father of her son, Clarence Braithwaite, a jazz musician who left Barbados to join the British army. From the moment Lucinda boards the ship to England, the trajectory of her life changes forever, after she meets someone on that crossing who will hold her heart in his palms for the next 60 years. Fast forward to 2017, three generations of a Bajan-British family fight the Home Office with everything it takes, so that their loved one can remain in the UK. The question is, can love, strength and hope outweigh hatred, ignorance and fear?
Smallie is an ode to home, to belonging, to human strength, to love. As readers, we are confronted with a multitude of important questions about injustice, cruelty, displacement, betrayal and loss. McKenzie-Goddard underlines the plight of the Windrush generation in the UK with a narrative voice so compelling, so accomplished, that I am certain we will be talking about this book for generations to come.
It may only be January, but I already know that this book will be on my top reads of 2026.
Thank you so much Penguin Viking for giving me the chance to read this 5 months ahead of release!
Some people are born to write, and McKenzie-Goddard is one of those people. It is truly astonishing that Smallie is a debut, as novels like this do not come along every day. This book announces a remarkable new voice in British fiction, unravelling a story which, from the very outset, burns to be told.
Smallie follows the life of Lucinda Brown, a warm hearted and fiercely brave mother, who travels to England in 1961, in search of her lover and the father of her son, Clarence Braithwaite, a jazz musician who left Barbados to join the British army. From the moment Lucinda boards the ship to England, the trajectory of her life changes forever, after she meets someone on that crossing who will hold her heart in his palms for the next 60 years. Fast forward to 2017, three generations of a Bajan-British family fight the Home Office with everything it takes, so that their loved one can remain in the UK. The question is, can love, strength and hope outweigh hatred, ignorance and fear?
Smallie is an ode to home, to belonging, to human strength, to love. As readers, we are confronted with a multitude of important questions about injustice, cruelty, displacement, betrayal and loss. McKenzie-Goddard underlines the plight of the Windrush generation in the UK with a narrative voice so compelling, so accomplished, that I am certain we will be talking about this book for generations to come.
It may only be January, but I already know that this book will be on my top reads of 2026.
Thank you so much Penguin Viking for giving me the chance to read this 5 months ahead of release!
November 8, 2025
Smallie
By Eden McKenzie-Goddard
Panic is a spider, crawling in my folds, hatching eggs in soft places, until I am swarmed with tickling nerves across my entire body.
I thought I’d start this review by showing you how beautiful the writing in this book is. If this passage made you feel something, pick this book up when it comes out in spring 2026, in fact, preorder it now.
📒📒📒📒📒
Smallie switches between Lucinda’s story in 1961 as she leaves Barbados to travel to England in search of her lover Clarence at the age of 19. While on the ship, she meets Raldo, a carefree man from Trinidad who has his eyes on Lucinda, he calls her Smallie and she likes him but she is loyal to Clarence.
The other storyline follows Patrick Braithwaite fifty years later. Patrick and his siblings are trying to prevent the deportation of their mother and prove her legal arrival in the country fifty years before.
I found Patrick’s chapters informative but absolutely adored Lucinda’s. I couldn’t wait to get back to them because of the emotions I felt while reading them. I felt love and longing on the pages, anger and irritation and then understanding. I felt joy and then pain.
The characters were so well developed. From young Lucinda, her controlling dad and her loving Nanny Florelda, her lovers, Clarence and Raldo to Patrick and Mark. I saw the complexity of relationships, effects of war and trauma.
This book covers political scandals of recent years like the Windrush Scandal and historical events like the Post-War Caribbean to Britain migration (1950s-1960s), building the Panama Canal and Irish indentured servants known as the Redlegs of Barbados.
I would highly recommend this book to everyone, especially lovers of historical fiction and Caribbean books, lovers of literary fiction and beautifully crafted sentences and those who love nuanced characters.
By Eden McKenzie-Goddard
Panic is a spider, crawling in my folds, hatching eggs in soft places, until I am swarmed with tickling nerves across my entire body.
I thought I’d start this review by showing you how beautiful the writing in this book is. If this passage made you feel something, pick this book up when it comes out in spring 2026, in fact, preorder it now.
📒📒📒📒📒
Smallie switches between Lucinda’s story in 1961 as she leaves Barbados to travel to England in search of her lover Clarence at the age of 19. While on the ship, she meets Raldo, a carefree man from Trinidad who has his eyes on Lucinda, he calls her Smallie and she likes him but she is loyal to Clarence.
The other storyline follows Patrick Braithwaite fifty years later. Patrick and his siblings are trying to prevent the deportation of their mother and prove her legal arrival in the country fifty years before.
I found Patrick’s chapters informative but absolutely adored Lucinda’s. I couldn’t wait to get back to them because of the emotions I felt while reading them. I felt love and longing on the pages, anger and irritation and then understanding. I felt joy and then pain.
The characters were so well developed. From young Lucinda, her controlling dad and her loving Nanny Florelda, her lovers, Clarence and Raldo to Patrick and Mark. I saw the complexity of relationships, effects of war and trauma.
This book covers political scandals of recent years like the Windrush Scandal and historical events like the Post-War Caribbean to Britain migration (1950s-1960s), building the Panama Canal and Irish indentured servants known as the Redlegs of Barbados.
I would highly recommend this book to everyone, especially lovers of historical fiction and Caribbean books, lovers of literary fiction and beautifully crafted sentences and those who love nuanced characters.
January 6, 2026
Thank you to Netgalley for my early copy.
An important story that focuses on the Windrush scandal; a scandal that sadly did not receive the attention and disgust that it should have. Eden McKenzie-Goddard paints a vivid picture of a family that spans multi-generations; a family that love each other but realistically have flaws.
It focuses on multiple perspectives – Lucinda ‘Lulu’ who came to London to meet with her husband, Clarence and Patrick, Lulu’s son. The book has a good pace; it doesn’t rush through the events – events are explored thoroughly and you really know and understand each character. For me, I preferred Lucinda’s chapters to Patrick’s.
I would recommend this to anyone but particularly British readers and anyone who loves historical fiction.
An important story that focuses on the Windrush scandal; a scandal that sadly did not receive the attention and disgust that it should have. Eden McKenzie-Goddard paints a vivid picture of a family that spans multi-generations; a family that love each other but realistically have flaws.
It focuses on multiple perspectives – Lucinda ‘Lulu’ who came to London to meet with her husband, Clarence and Patrick, Lulu’s son. The book has a good pace; it doesn’t rush through the events – events are explored thoroughly and you really know and understand each character. For me, I preferred Lucinda’s chapters to Patrick’s.
I would recommend this to anyone but particularly British readers and anyone who loves historical fiction.
February 12, 2026
In 2012, the Home Office under the leadership of Theresa May pioneered the Hostile Environment policy. The goal? To create a hostile environment for illegal immigrants. Buses drove around London emblazoned with handcuffs and the slogan: “In the UK illegally? Go home or face arrest.” This policy — Britain’s own ICE — later led to the Windrush scandal, where 83 Commonwealth citizens who arrived between 1948 and 1971, answering the call to serve Queen and country, were deported. Thousands more lost jobs, were denied life-saving medical treatment, or were detained in immigration centres that were, in reality, prisons.
Smallie follows a Bajan family caught up in this scandal. We meet 19-year-old Lucinda as she voyages to Southampton to reunite with her lover Clarence, who left Barbados to serve in WWII. On board she meets a fellow Bajan, Raldo, but her heart remains fixed on Clarence. When they reunite, he is not the same man. What changed him — the war? Britain? The slow disillusionment of a country far removed from what they imagined? A country that has never fully welcomed immigrants, only masked its rejection with politeness.
This is my first time reading a novel about Windrush, and I appreciated how it humanised the scandal — turning headlines into lived experience. Through Lucinda’s eyes we see the hostility, racism, cramped living conditions (she shares a tiny room with another couple), loneliness and hardship. The narrative weaves in police brutality, rogue landlords, and racist employers, grounding the politics in personal loss.
However, what could have been an incredible debut fell short. Too many storylines remained unfinished — Reggie, the Edwards, Chris, Mark, Silvia. Why did Patrick only visit his mum once she was detained? What was that story? Sheila? And some characters, like Jevan, felt abruptly inserted. Revelations that should have been slowly built for tension were instead revealed haphazardly. Pat’s relapse into alcoholism also didn’t feel convincing.
That said, the language in places is exquisite. Lucinda’s voice is poetic — it took time to adjust to, but it became the strongest part of the novel. The depiction of Barbados and England in the 40s and 60s is vivid and immersive.
Overall, it’s a solid debut. With more space and development, it could have been a masterpiece. As it stands, it’s a worthwhile read for its portrayal of a scandal I rarely see explored in fiction.
Smallie follows a Bajan family caught up in this scandal. We meet 19-year-old Lucinda as she voyages to Southampton to reunite with her lover Clarence, who left Barbados to serve in WWII. On board she meets a fellow Bajan, Raldo, but her heart remains fixed on Clarence. When they reunite, he is not the same man. What changed him — the war? Britain? The slow disillusionment of a country far removed from what they imagined? A country that has never fully welcomed immigrants, only masked its rejection with politeness.
This is my first time reading a novel about Windrush, and I appreciated how it humanised the scandal — turning headlines into lived experience. Through Lucinda’s eyes we see the hostility, racism, cramped living conditions (she shares a tiny room with another couple), loneliness and hardship. The narrative weaves in police brutality, rogue landlords, and racist employers, grounding the politics in personal loss.
However, what could have been an incredible debut fell short. Too many storylines remained unfinished — Reggie, the Edwards, Chris, Mark, Silvia. Why did Patrick only visit his mum once she was detained? What was that story? Sheila? And some characters, like Jevan, felt abruptly inserted. Revelations that should have been slowly built for tension were instead revealed haphazardly. Pat’s relapse into alcoholism also didn’t feel convincing.
That said, the language in places is exquisite. Lucinda’s voice is poetic — it took time to adjust to, but it became the strongest part of the novel. The depiction of Barbados and England in the 40s and 60s is vivid and immersive.
Overall, it’s a solid debut. With more space and development, it could have been a masterpiece. As it stands, it’s a worthwhile read for its portrayal of a scandal I rarely see explored in fiction.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Smallie by Eden McKenzie-Goddard tells the story of Lucinda (Smallie). In 1961, she travels from Barnardos to England to join her husband; fifty years later, she becomes a victim of the Windrush scandal. The novel moves between Lucinda’s childhood, her arrival in England in the early 1960s, and her life decades later.
The pacing was a little slow for me, though I still enjoyed reading it. The characters felt believable, and Raldo was my clear favourite. Overall, I was engaged, but I found myself much less interested in the characters in the 2000s as they felt flatter and less interesting, and I didn’t really warm to them. I wanted more of Lucinda’s story, and I was particularly keen to know about Reggie's story. The use of dialect added authenticity and atmosphere; although I found it difficult to follow at first, I did get used to it.
While the ending was 'nice', it wasn’t entirely satisfying for me. Too much felt unresolved. That said, I appreciated learning more about the Windrush scandal, and it’s prompted me to want to read more about it. I received a free advance review copy, and this is my honest review.
The pacing was a little slow for me, though I still enjoyed reading it. The characters felt believable, and Raldo was my clear favourite. Overall, I was engaged, but I found myself much less interested in the characters in the 2000s as they felt flatter and less interesting, and I didn’t really warm to them. I wanted more of Lucinda’s story, and I was particularly keen to know about Reggie's story. The use of dialect added authenticity and atmosphere; although I found it difficult to follow at first, I did get used to it.
While the ending was 'nice', it wasn’t entirely satisfying for me. Too much felt unresolved. That said, I appreciated learning more about the Windrush scandal, and it’s prompted me to want to read more about it. I received a free advance review copy, and this is my honest review.
October 17, 2025
The attraction to this short novel was the Windrush connection. Arriving in the UK having survived an Atlantic Ocean voyage from Barbados, Lucinda meets Raldo, a Trinidadian, who offers her the freedom that both her old life in Barbados and the life that awaits her in Britain lack.This is far removed from the life that Lucinda had been expecting. Initially the interspersion in Creole dialect makes reading slow as I spent more time deciphering its meaning. In essence, the novel is about three generations of a British Bajan family affected by the Windrush scandal. Very emotive, distressing and raw reading, reminding me of how badly these people were treated by our government. Not my preferred genre, but nonetheless worthy of a read to get a good grasp of Windrush.
My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Books for this ARC for review.
My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Books for this ARC for review.
November 25, 2025
Smallie is the debut novel from this author and follows the story of three generations of one family whose lives were impacted quite heavily by the Windrush scandal and how badly they were treated by the British government.
It's an incredibly emotive, evocative read, full of raw, deep emissions as we follow the generational story of this family from their origins in Barbados, to their journey to across the Atlantic to Britain, to the harsh reality if having to prove the right to remain in the country, over 50 years after arriving.
So all in all, a very interesting read on the subject of an important period of history, and one that should not be forgotten.
It's an engaging read, with characters that are believable and feel real and the story bobs along nicely and holds your attention throughout.
4 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 's from me.
It's an incredibly emotive, evocative read, full of raw, deep emissions as we follow the generational story of this family from their origins in Barbados, to their journey to across the Atlantic to Britain, to the harsh reality if having to prove the right to remain in the country, over 50 years after arriving.
So all in all, a very interesting read on the subject of an important period of history, and one that should not be forgotten.
It's an engaging read, with characters that are believable and feel real and the story bobs along nicely and holds your attention throughout.
4 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 's from me.
October 25, 2025
Smallie, the debut novel by Eden McKenzie-Goddard tells the story of three generations of one family whose lives are impacted by the Windrush scandal and its fallout. Through differing viewpoints, giving a kaleidoscopic view of this part of British history, McKenzie-Goddard is able to craft a compelling, emotional and engaging tale. It is a short novel which I read in one sitting, drawn in by the characters and keen to read something or the insider view of this moment in time of which we have all heard. It is a great debut and I'm very keen to see what comes next from him.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
This debut novel takes us to London and is told during the 1960s and present day. It opens with Lucinda travelling from Barbados to London to find her lover, while present day, after spending all her life in the UK, she is being deported and her family is trying to fight it.
There are parts of the book that I loved and the other parts I felt needed some more fleshing out. This is where I wish the editor had asked for an additional 100 pages so we can really get some more time with the characters. Overall, a solid debut.
There are parts of the book that I loved and the other parts I felt needed some more fleshing out. This is where I wish the editor had asked for an additional 100 pages so we can really get some more time with the characters. Overall, a solid debut.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
One to watch
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