'ELECTRIFYING' Colson Whitehead
'ABSOLUTELY UNFORGETTABLE' Roxane Gay

At a time of rolling blackouts and terrible storms battering America, the neighbourhood of First Street, Charlottesville comes under attack by violent white supremacists. A group of friends, families and strangers flee together in an abandoned bus and head for the hills above town.

Led by Da'Naisha Love, they arrive at Monticello, the historic plantation-home of Thomas Jefferson, deserted but for its ghosts. As a young Black descendant of Jefferson and Sally Hemings, Da'Naisha has a complex relationship with the house. Tentative at first, the group explores rooms, forages on the grounds, and finds a kind of shelter. But the terror from their town is coming closer, and soon they have an impossible decision to make.

My Monticello is the story of nineteen heart-stopping days of refuge and reclamation, told by Da'Naisha with courage and with grace. This deeply moving novel is a searing indictment of racism past and present, and a powerful vision of resistance, community and hope.

'ONE OF THE FINEST NOVELS OF 2021 and A FUTURE CLASSIC' The Bookseller

Early readers love My Monticello (reviews from NetGalley):
'So much to love... A truly astonishing debut' *****
'What an incredible voice she has' *****
'Deserves the praise heaped upon it' *****
'Johnson's writing is vivid and bold' ****
'The end is terrific, terrifying and mind blowing' ****
'Raw, powerful and a great contemporary voice' ****
'Definitely deserves a spot on your reading list' ****

About the Author
Jocelyn Nicole Johnson's writing has appeared in Guernica and the Guardian and has been anthologized in Best American Short Stories 2018, guest edited by Roxane Gay. My Monticello is her debut. She lives in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Reviews
Riveting storytelling. This incandescent work speaks not just to the moment, but to history * Publishers Weekly (starred review) *
A badass debut by any measure - nimble, knowing, and electrifying * Colson Whitehead, twice-Pulitzer Prize winning author of THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD and THE NICKEL BOYS *
An electric new literary voice * Esquire *
Absolutely unforgettable. Johnson's prose soars to remarkable heights * Roxane Gay, New York Times bestselling author of HUNGER and AYITI *
Unputdownable... Extraordinarily powerful... One of the finest books of 2021 and a future classic * The Bookseller, Book of the Month *
My Monticello is a magnificent debut that holds so much in its gaze. This breathtaking, artful book is a gift * Megha Majumdar, New York Times bestselling author of A BURNING *
I was enthralled from the opening lines of this book. Stunning * Charles Yu, National Book Award-winning author of INTERIOR CHINATOWN *
This is a stunning debut by a brilliant and original new voice * Danielle Evans, award-winning author of THE OFFICE OF HISTORICAL CORRECTIONS *
Johnson's debut book is stellar * Kirkus (starred review) *
A powerful and beautiful read -- Nina Pottell * Prima *
An extraordinary debut from a gifted writer with an unflinching view of history and what may come of it. * Washington Post *
Johnson is a great observer. The novel is full of stunningly precise figurative language... [it's] utterly absorbing...a meditation of how the brutal past of slavery still has a potent legacy in contemporary America; it also portrays the redemptive powers of love and care -- Tomiwa Owolade * Daily Telegraph *
This powerful and memorable book is a must-read -- Joanne Finney * Good Housekeeping *
A powerful, thought-provoking novel -- Sarra Manning * Red *
[A] tenderly rendered apocalyptic novella... Johnson is an unusually sensitive writer, combining a mood of impending doom with language of soulful beauty -- Claire Allfree * Daily Mail *
This brief, brilliant gut-punch of a novel is frighteningly plausible... Lush, harrowing, and entirely believable - a marvel of economy -- Paul Connolly * Metro *
My Monticello is short, satisfying and punchy: more debuts should be like this -- John Self * The Times *
Stunning -- Eithne Farry * Mail on Sunday *
Chilling, affecting and intelligent -- Stuart Kelly * Scotland on Sunday *
This brief, brilliant gut-punch of a novel is frighteningly plausible -- Paul Connolly * Metro, *Christmas Gift Guide 2021* *
My Monticello is a bleak story but reading it elicits the same kind of sensation that comes from listening to a poignant blues song: there is pleasure in its creation without denying the pain of the subject -- Colin Grant * Guardian *
A history lesson, a fable, an inquiry into the nature of historic monuments, a heartfelt tale of community and above all a nail-biting story. * Guardian *



Book Information
ISBN 9781787303027
Author Jocelyn Nicole Johnson
Format Hardback
Page Count 192
Imprint Harvill Secker
Publisher Vintage Publishing
Weight(grams) 316g
Dimensions(mm) 222mm * 144mm * 22mm