Una vida buscando / Having Spent Life Seeking

by Kae Tempest, Gabriela Ellena Castellotti (Translator)

They were coming back to life. They were free and getting freer.

The heart-breaking, soul-building new novel about the transformative power of love, from the Sunday Times -bestselling Kae Tempest

Rothko Taylor has washed up with the tide, back in their hometown, Edgecliff. Fifteen years since they left it behind.

The past is accelerating towards the skateboard kids on the high street that remind them of their teenage years, the splintered benches looking out to sea, where their mum Meg clutched her cans. The nice bit of town, where their dad Ezra tried and failed to build a happy home. And Dionne's block. Beautiful, extraordinary Dionne, the only person who had ever looked at them and seen what was there.

Back then, overwhelmed and full of fear, they sank beneath the surface into chaos. But they made it out alive. And this time, Rothko is determined that things will be different.

Tempest's first novel in a decade, Having Spent Life Seeking is about family and forgiveness; redemption and atonement; desire and abandon; selfhood and community. The things we seek when we are hiding, and what finds us, if we can let ourselves be seen.


Praise for Kae Tempest

‘An authentically soothing, powerful thought-provoker’ Matt Haig

‘A truth-speaker’ Max Porter

'Powerful and merciful' Ali Smith

Genres: Queer

312 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2026

Reviews

[SJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of those earth shattering, mind altering and once in a blue moon books. The experience is somewhat like reading Euphoria in the hands of a poet with lived experience. I’ve said it many times but I’ll say it again, Kae Tempest is a stone cold genius.

[Evie Spicer · Rating 5 out of 5]

most enjoyable reading experience I have had in a long time, loved every aspect of this from the characters to the sense of place to the language !! Kae
Tempest is my 🐐

[Helen Haythornthwaite · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a deeply moving, raw, emotional read. It’s a story, both captivating and heart-wrenching, which explores gender identity with empathy and sensitivity.

It’s a character-driven novel which follows Rothko - using the pronouns they/their. The narrative takes us on a journey where Rothko struggles to find their true self amidst a world where acceptance does not come easy, if at all.

It begins in 2026, when Rothko has been out of jail for six months; after spending 15 years in there. It explores their time in prison; how the world has changed during those 15 years; and their reflections on the past. What comes across is Rothko’s vulnerability and I was rooting for them, even before I knew why they had been in prison.

The second part goes back to 2006, and we find out about Rothko’s earlier years; the unstable family and school life; and the exploration of their sexuality. It’s a tough read in places, and really made me reflect on how it can be so easy to judge someone just by the way they look. The frustration and indecision in Rothko’s mind is clear to see, and you just want someone to step in and give them a helping hand.

It’s also a beautiful love story; about being who you want to be, and finding your people - those who will accept you for whoever you want to be. I thought it was a beautifully written piece of literary fiction which explores gender identity in a compassionate way.


I was sent a proof of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

[Maria Bru · Rating 3 out of 5]

Because of reading this on my lunch at work, it took me longer than it should have; therefore it felt like it slightly dragged.
There was a lot unpack in this book; the prose takes some getting used to but it is good, and the changes of pov are frequent; making it more dynamic.
Now, the main part of this novel are the characters and their growth and not the plot.
It shows the dark side of not fully knowing who you are, because of what you have been made into, and how young people struggle with identity as a whole; but concentrating more on queer people and the issues they face when trying to just be.
It’s a book with a lot of depth and some darkness; and I felt like it navigates emotions really well, making it a very good character study.

[Miriam · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5 von 5 Sternen, weil ich Multiperspektiven-Romane nicht so super gerne mag.

Kae Tempest gehört für mich zu den größten Poet*innen unserer Zeit:

„Der Regen verzog sich abrupt; fast wie auf ein Signal. Rothko blickte nach oben, um Gott in flagranti zu erwischen, und sah die fahle Sonne, die sich das Gesicht in den Wolken wusch.“ (S. 24)

„[…] wie konnte ein Ding, so schwerelos wie das Leben, die allermeiste Zeit so verdammt scheiß schwer sein.“ (S. 318)

[Carlita · Rating 4 out of 5]

vaya manera de escribir… que barbaridad y que emoción de final