Romans: A Novel

by Alice Birch

Adventure and Truth. Sacrifice everything for it. It is worth it.

He is a motherless child. A bullied schoolboy. An adventurer scaling mountains. A coloniser of land, of people. Brother. Father. Soldier. Cult leader. He is sipping champagne at his book launch. He is up by 4am for weights, cardio, ice bath. He is recording a podcast. He is living as a badger.

Award-winning writer Alice Birch's (Anatomy of a Suicide; Normal People) monumental, kaleidoscopic portrait of masculinity from the nineteenth century to the present day explores how male narratives have shaped the world we know.

This edition was published to coincide with the world premiere production at the Almeida Theatre in September 2025, featuring Olivier Award-winner Kyle Soller.

Genres: Plays

192 pages, Paperback

Published October 28, 2025

Reviews

[Eduardo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Monumental. Alice Birch is such a clever writer. Saw this on stage last year and I loved it, but reading the text was almost as enjoyable as watching it live. This is one of those few plays that actually, and I’m sorry for this, reads like A Novel.

[Harry McDonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

(this is my play of the year)

[Jackson Zuercher · Rating 5 out of 5]

ridiculously good