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Orange
Cornwall, 2018. In the quiet fishing village of Portscatho, sixteen-year-old Daniel and seventeen-year-old Jago form an unexpected connection - something neither of them can name. What unfolds is transformative, particularly for Daniel, who for the first time feels truly seen.
East London, 2023. Daniel has rewritten sharper, louder, queer in a way the city understands. But a visit from Jago stirs up a reckoning with his former life, forcing them both to question how much change their bond can withstand.
Reminiscent of Édouard Louis and Douglas Stuart's writing, Orange examines how we reconcile our past selves with the people we become, those we bring with us and those we leave behind.
East London, 2023. Daniel has rewritten sharper, louder, queer in a way the city understands. But a visit from Jago stirs up a reckoning with his former life, forcing them both to question how much change their bond can withstand.
Reminiscent of Édouard Louis and Douglas Stuart's writing, Orange examines how we reconcile our past selves with the people we become, those we bring with us and those we leave behind.
288 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 5, 2026
19 people are currently reading
332 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
January 17, 2026
4.5
Another gorgeous, emotive and moving book from Garner. A beautiful exploration of love and queerness, exploring identity and belonging with tenderness and compassion. I can’t wait for whatever this author writes next, he is an essential voice in literature right now.
Another gorgeous, emotive and moving book from Garner. A beautiful exploration of love and queerness, exploring identity and belonging with tenderness and compassion. I can’t wait for whatever this author writes next, he is an essential voice in literature right now.
February 7, 2026
loved this !!! beautiful writing and exploration of queerness and how trauma and grief shape us
February 7, 2026
I read Orange right after finishing Curtis Garner’s debut, Isaac (a book I loved deeply) and his new novel, which comes out February 19th, cements Garner as a force in contemporary queer literature. Curtis Garner @queer_novels belongs in conversations alongside writers like Douglas Stuart, Édouard Louis, and Ocean Vuong.
Orange feels lyrically similar to Isaac, but also more emotionally mature, more confident, more devastating. We follow Daniel Orange, a young gay man, through a fragmented narrative that alternates between his life at 16, growing up in a deeply dysfunctional family in Cornwall, and at 21, living in London. That physical displacement mirrors something much deeper: a fractured sense of identity.
Daniel is constantly negotiating who he is, who he was, and who he wants to become. He’s caught between the desire to erase his past and the impossibility of ever fully escaping it. That tension runs through every page.
At the heart of the novel is Daniel’s relationship with Jago. A first love stretched across five years in something that feels like a situationship built on longing, tenderness, harm, and missed timing.
One of the things that struck me the most is Garner’s ability to write about masculinity: what it means to be a gay, effeminate man, how masculinity is policed, internalised, performed, and how deeply it shapes the way we see ourselves and are seen by others. It’s sharp, honest, and deeply resonant for queer readers.
Garner’s prose is lyrical, poetic, and emotionally precise. His ability to understand and put in words the queer experience of growing up and finding your place is remarkable. By the end, I genuinely didn’t want to let go of Daniel Orange. I understood him: his fears, desires, contradictions, even his worst moments.
Orange is a powerful exploration of queer identity, masculinity, belonging, and the idea that home isn’t always a place… sometimes it’s a self, or a person, or the space where you’re finally allowed to exist fully 🍊🫂
This is a novel that will stay with me, and one I truly believe people will be talking about this year. Highly recommended.
Orange feels lyrically similar to Isaac, but also more emotionally mature, more confident, more devastating. We follow Daniel Orange, a young gay man, through a fragmented narrative that alternates between his life at 16, growing up in a deeply dysfunctional family in Cornwall, and at 21, living in London. That physical displacement mirrors something much deeper: a fractured sense of identity.
Daniel is constantly negotiating who he is, who he was, and who he wants to become. He’s caught between the desire to erase his past and the impossibility of ever fully escaping it. That tension runs through every page.
At the heart of the novel is Daniel’s relationship with Jago. A first love stretched across five years in something that feels like a situationship built on longing, tenderness, harm, and missed timing.
One of the things that struck me the most is Garner’s ability to write about masculinity: what it means to be a gay, effeminate man, how masculinity is policed, internalised, performed, and how deeply it shapes the way we see ourselves and are seen by others. It’s sharp, honest, and deeply resonant for queer readers.
Garner’s prose is lyrical, poetic, and emotionally precise. His ability to understand and put in words the queer experience of growing up and finding your place is remarkable. By the end, I genuinely didn’t want to let go of Daniel Orange. I understood him: his fears, desires, contradictions, even his worst moments.
Orange is a powerful exploration of queer identity, masculinity, belonging, and the idea that home isn’t always a place… sometimes it’s a self, or a person, or the space where you’re finally allowed to exist fully 🍊🫂
This is a novel that will stay with me, and one I truly believe people will be talking about this year. Highly recommended.
October 1, 2025
Ummmmmm not sure where to start, the story flowed nicely even when it went back in time.
My only major problem was the words that was used they were long and my kindle couldn't find the meaning of most of them,so I felt cheated a bit by not being able to understand them
My only major problem was the words that was used they were long and my kindle couldn't find the meaning of most of them,so I felt cheated a bit by not being able to understand them
December 6, 2025
Curtis Garner’s ‘Orange’ is a meditative and often sombre look at Cornwall native Daniel-whose memory of his relationship with his mother and his on-again off-again quasi-boyfriend Jago make up the book. Daniel felt stifled by his childhood in Cornwall and he moved to London to become the better version of himself. Yet that did not happen and he reflects on why he's so emotionally unsatisfied.
Garner flashes back between two times in Daniel's life-2018 and the present-to show readers just how unsatisfied Daniel is with his life. He feels unmoored and a non-participant in his own life. Daniel does not understand why he cannot be with his first love, Jag, and why their relationship has been so tumultuous. Daniel never seems sure of where he stands in the relationship.
Along with his relationship with Jago, he deals with wounds from his childhood. His mother was an alcoholic, and his parents had a terrible relationship. Daniel and his mother lived with his nan to get some peace from the constant fighting between his mother and father. However, the mother’s drinking was always a major concern, and something carries he immense guilt about.
Garner shows immense empathy for Daniel and his plight, and he understands Daniel feeling like an outsider in his own community. Daniel is not only isolated in his place of birth, but he is still searching for purpose because he has not dealt with the trauma of the past.
I wanted to like the book more than I did. I found the Daniel/Jago connection tedious at times. There was too much discussion about the status of their relationship so that I grew impatient. I never saw much depth of feeling there. It felt more like an obsession. Daniel’s obsession with Jago went on way too long for me. I did not understand why Daniel spent so much time with him because Jago seemed dull and a bit of a flake. I found Daniel’s one-time date, Tom much more interesting. I would have preferred to read more about him.
I think the time shifts also hurt, because readers are constantly moving between the two periods. I would have told the story chronologically. I don’t think the past needed to be treated as a mystery. Garner is extremely talented, and there’s a lot of heart in the novel. I just wish I felt more for the central relationship in the novel.
Garner flashes back between two times in Daniel's life-2018 and the present-to show readers just how unsatisfied Daniel is with his life. He feels unmoored and a non-participant in his own life. Daniel does not understand why he cannot be with his first love, Jag, and why their relationship has been so tumultuous. Daniel never seems sure of where he stands in the relationship.
Along with his relationship with Jago, he deals with wounds from his childhood. His mother was an alcoholic, and his parents had a terrible relationship. Daniel and his mother lived with his nan to get some peace from the constant fighting between his mother and father. However, the mother’s drinking was always a major concern, and something carries he immense guilt about.
Garner shows immense empathy for Daniel and his plight, and he understands Daniel feeling like an outsider in his own community. Daniel is not only isolated in his place of birth, but he is still searching for purpose because he has not dealt with the trauma of the past.
I wanted to like the book more than I did. I found the Daniel/Jago connection tedious at times. There was too much discussion about the status of their relationship so that I grew impatient. I never saw much depth of feeling there. It felt more like an obsession. Daniel’s obsession with Jago went on way too long for me. I did not understand why Daniel spent so much time with him because Jago seemed dull and a bit of a flake. I found Daniel’s one-time date, Tom much more interesting. I would have preferred to read more about him.
I think the time shifts also hurt, because readers are constantly moving between the two periods. I would have told the story chronologically. I don’t think the past needed to be treated as a mystery. Garner is extremely talented, and there’s a lot of heart in the novel. I just wish I felt more for the central relationship in the novel.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Present, Not Compelling
The novel moves between Cornwall and London, and the book moves with Daniel, the protagonist. Back and forth in time, circling first gay love, family influence and the long residue of adolescence. It is attentive, controlled and often careful. I followed it to the end, but I never felt fully inside it.
The Cornwall sections are the strongest on the page. The setting presses in on the characters, and the early relationship at the centre of the book is drawn through proximity rather than drama. Shared beds, walks along the coast - these scenes are convincing in isolation, and the novel allows imbalance to exist without trying to correct it. Place carries weight here, shaping behaviour rather than standing in as mood.
The London chapters lose that hold. Daniel’s interior voice becomes dominant, and the narration starts doing the work the scenes could manage on their own. Reflections on therapy, labels and dating culture recur with diminishing effect. At its weakest, the book drifts into over-articulation and repetition, mistaking earnestness for depth. By this point, I found myself observing Daniel rather than engaging with him. His self-awareness did not translate into momentum or pull.
The later chapters tighten structurally, and withheld context does alter how earlier patterns read. Even so, the shift arrived too late to change my distance from the protagonist. I understood what the novel was doing. I simply did not care enough about Daniel to feel invested in where it landed.
This is a considered novel, serious in intent, with moments that work on the sentence level. For me, it remained emotionally remote i.e. present on the page, but not compelling.
Thank you to NetGalley and Verve Books for the opportunity to read an advance copy of Orange.
The novel moves between Cornwall and London, and the book moves with Daniel, the protagonist. Back and forth in time, circling first gay love, family influence and the long residue of adolescence. It is attentive, controlled and often careful. I followed it to the end, but I never felt fully inside it.
The Cornwall sections are the strongest on the page. The setting presses in on the characters, and the early relationship at the centre of the book is drawn through proximity rather than drama. Shared beds, walks along the coast - these scenes are convincing in isolation, and the novel allows imbalance to exist without trying to correct it. Place carries weight here, shaping behaviour rather than standing in as mood.
The London chapters lose that hold. Daniel’s interior voice becomes dominant, and the narration starts doing the work the scenes could manage on their own. Reflections on therapy, labels and dating culture recur with diminishing effect. At its weakest, the book drifts into over-articulation and repetition, mistaking earnestness for depth. By this point, I found myself observing Daniel rather than engaging with him. His self-awareness did not translate into momentum or pull.
The later chapters tighten structurally, and withheld context does alter how earlier patterns read. Even so, the shift arrived too late to change my distance from the protagonist. I understood what the novel was doing. I simply did not care enough about Daniel to feel invested in where it landed.
This is a considered novel, serious in intent, with moments that work on the sentence level. For me, it remained emotionally remote i.e. present on the page, but not compelling.
Thank you to NetGalley and Verve Books for the opportunity to read an advance copy of Orange.
October 9, 2025
Curtis Garner has done it again with his new novel Orange. I absolutely loved Isaac, so when I saw that he had another book coming out so quickly - I was skeptical and excited at the same time.
I'm so thrilled to say that he has done it again. He has a true gift and a way with words that just captivate you and sucks you deeply into the story that is being told.
I just loved this so much. I loved Daniel. I loved Jaygo. And I loved their story. The closer I got to the end I found myself wanting to live in this story forever. I didn't want it to end. I read this in one day it was so captivating. Garner knows how to write a sex scene let me tell you!
The two timelines worked so cohesively and really added to the unfolding of this love story between two people. It's a story of being in the wrong place at the right time.
Bravo. Just incredible. Curtis Garner is an auto-buy author for me now.
I'm so thrilled to say that he has done it again. He has a true gift and a way with words that just captivate you and sucks you deeply into the story that is being told.
I just loved this so much. I loved Daniel. I loved Jaygo. And I loved their story. The closer I got to the end I found myself wanting to live in this story forever. I didn't want it to end. I read this in one day it was so captivating. Garner knows how to write a sex scene let me tell you!
The two timelines worked so cohesively and really added to the unfolding of this love story between two people. It's a story of being in the wrong place at the right time.
Bravo. Just incredible. Curtis Garner is an auto-buy author for me now.
February 1, 2026
I adore it. We find out the story of Daniel Orange through two timelines and locations: 2023 London and 2018 Cornwall. The characters are well developed and they serve their unique relationships to Daniel. I particularly enjoy the vast landscape of Cornwall portrayed by the author - the stillness of the countryside scenery I imagined in my head and the slower rhythm of living brought a sense of calmness to me. The sweet discovery of first love between Daniel and Jago ("Jay-go") and the challenging family dynamics of the Oranges revealed in Cornwall pose a stark difference to London, where Daniel finally feels liberated and finds/experiments with a new mindset.
I could not put it down and had to find out how Daniel deals with his past and memories when he is confronted by two separate worlds that collide with each other.
TW: Domestic abuse, drug use and sex.
I could not put it down and had to find out how Daniel deals with his past and memories when he is confronted by two separate worlds that collide with each other.
TW: Domestic abuse, drug use and sex.
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December 30, 2025I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I had to shelf the book at 20% as a DNF as unfortunately I just couldn’t get into it which was a real shame.
Thank you again for the free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
I had to shelf the book at 20% as a DNF as unfortunately I just couldn’t get into it which was a real shame.
Thank you again for the free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
February 15, 2026
The themes were interesting, but I found it hard to get fully invested in the story. The writing style alienated me with its stark tendency to tell rather than show emotion, which felt like overexplaining.
January 15, 2026
Wow - a beautiful story. Love, friendship and self-discovery.
Parts were almost like poetry, Daniel is a character who is likeable and complicated.
Parts were almost like poetry, Daniel is a character who is likeable and complicated.
January 30, 2026
3.75⭐️
While I preferred his debut, I still enjoyed this coming of age tale, intertwined with the difficulty of the idea of home, and how to decide when to let go of parts of an old life
While I preferred his debut, I still enjoyed this coming of age tale, intertwined with the difficulty of the idea of home, and how to decide when to let go of parts of an old life
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews