[1][2][3] Assembly follows the internal reflections of a young, successful Black British woman as she prepares to attend a lavish garden party hosted by her white boyfriend's family.
As she navigates the pressures of her professional life in a predominantly white corporate environment and reflects on societal expectations tied to race, class, and gender, she confronts existential questions about her identity and future.
Her musings intensify as she grapples with a recent medical diagnosis, forcing her to reconsider what it means to "succeed" in a society built on systemic inequalities.
[1] It was published in hardcover format in the UK through Hamish Hamilton on 3 June 2021; Penguin also released an ebook and audiobook dictated by Pippa Bennett-Warner.
Critics have noted how this disjointed structure mirrors the protagonist's internal conflict, her emotional exhaustion, and the disorientation she feels as she navigates both her personal and professional life.