Orange: A candid portrayal of first love and self-discovery

by Curtis Garner

A candid portrayal of first love and self-discovery, from the author of the 'instant queer classic', Isaac.

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.

'One of the most emotionally resonant and beautifully written books you'll read this year, Orange is an unforgettable meditation on what it truly means to find home' - Andrew Porter, author of The Imagined Life

'A love letter to London and all its flaws and excesses... Written with the flair of Ocean Vuong and the narrative excellence of Alexander Chee... An extremely accomplished sophomore novel' - Alex Allison, author of Greatest of All Time

‘Richly humane, wholly original, beautifully crafted, probing and sharply insightful’ – Niamh Campbell, author of This Happy

‘A beautiful and incredibly moving love story that explores queerness and identity, home and belonging, and the different people we become in different places’ – Margaret McDonald, author of Glasgow Boys

‘Vivid, moving and artfully observed, Orange perfectly captures the bittersweetness of leaving one home to build another’ – Grace Flahive, author of Palm Meridian

‘Perfectly captures the exhilaration of first love... It's hilarious, sexy and messy’ – Jake Hall, author of Shoulder to Shoulder

'I devoured this... Moving and absorbing... A great exploration of modern queer life' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'Wow, what a mesmerising book... Full of beautiful and vivid descriptions of both places and people' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'A very worthy successor to Isaac... An extraordinary piece of writing' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'Garner has a true gift and a way with words that just captivates you... I found myself wanting to live in this story forever' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

PRAISE FOR CURTIS GARNER

'So vivid and real, it brought a thousand memories rushing back' - Russell T Davies, writer of It's A Sin and Queer As Folk

'A wryly honest tale... It stirred bittersweet memories of wanting to astonish the world even while hating the skin I was in. Garner is clearly one to watch' - Patrick Gale, author of Mother's Boy

'An instant queer classic' - Jon Ransom, author of The Gallopers

'Garner writes like a queer twenty-first-century Richard honest, uncompromising, fearless, and completely engrossing' - Alex Pheby, author of Playthings

Genres: Literary Fiction, Queer

288 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication February 5, 2026

Reviews

[Gareth Jones-Jenkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

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

[Chris L. · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Jimmie Kirby · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Natalie]

I 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.