Gloria Don't Speak

by Lucy Apps

Gloria has a learning disability. She's nineteen, and there's nothing to do except wander the local parks, look for friendship and keep out of trouble - or go round Jack's. Jack needs Gloria's company, but he's unpredictable and angry at the world. After an act of violence, their friendship has to end. Now Gloria's on her own. But when she hears Jack's out of prison, her whole world is turned upside-down. Heart-breaking and beautiful, Gloria Don't Speak is an insightful portrait of a woman dealing with vulnerability, violence - and the desire for connection.

Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction, Contemporary, Disability, British Literature, Abuse, Adult

202 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 26, 2026

Reviews

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the reasons I read the Women's Prize every year (or try to) is to find books I would never have picked up on my own, especially from the small and indie presses. This is one such read.

Gloria, our main character, is predominantly non verbal and socially isolated, yet forms an unlikely, and unhealthy attachment, to volatile Jack. It's not quite a friendship, but rather a bonding of two people who are desperately trying to seek something from the other than they are unable to give. And then Jack commits a violent crime that upends Gloria's small world.

The writing in this is really interesting, reflecting and using Gloria's echolalia to demonstrate her struggle with communicating. I also felt able to understand, and feel as though I was inside Gloria's head, even despite this obvious struggle she has with expressing herself.

I did feel at times this was a book very much of two halves - the before and after of Jack's crime, and the first half was a lot stronger than the latter. I felt like Gloria started to fade away the further she got from 1999, and her constant remembering of the past, and mixing of the timelines, didn't help to propel the story in the way I would have liked.

A really interesting read, and I'm glad I picked this up.

[cosylittlereadingcorner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love it when a book promises something not widely covered in fiction yet is something that affects many in real life. ‘Gloria Don’t Speak’ is such a book and it does what it promises so very well!

Gloria has a learning disability and at the start of the book she is 19, living at home with her working single mum. This means, that having finished college, Gloria is on her own during the day. She lives near a park in, what I perceived to be, a deprived area of London and it is here where Gloria meets Jack.

Gloria is mostly non verbal and can be easily overwhelmed in certain situations, resulting in a physical reaction but Jack lets her be herself. He doesn’t make her speak and just enjoys having company even if quiet. But Jack’s life’s been hard for different reasons and he is unpredictable and angry. And one day this pent up anger results in a terrible tragedy, a moment Gloria cannot forget, and Jack ends up in prison. The years pass, Gloria moves into a supported living accommodation but Jack remains in her mind and when she hears that he is out of prison, her past becomes her present again.

There’s so much packed into in this relatively short but powerful book (256 pages). I love the writing style whereby the author managed to make me feel like I was in Gloria’s head one moment but then the outside world the next. To see the world through Gloria’s eyes but then to see her from the viewpoint of others too.

It highlights the so many difficulties faced by those living with such disabilities, the impact of the lottery of life and who it brings you in contact with. This book is tender and heartbreaking at the same time and the author’s real life experience of volunteering with women with learning disabilities is evident in every page.

Gloria will sneak into your heart in this beautiful portrayal of loneliness, the need for human connection and the challenges of navigating a world not centred around the way Gloria’s mind works.

[Darryl Suite · Rating 4 out of 5]

The moment I heard about this book I thought of the Women’s Prize. I was pleased when it ended up on the longlist because it gave me the excuse to prioritize it.


Our protagonist is Gloria, a nineteen-year-old with a learning disability. She enjoys exploring the neighborhood while constantly being told by her mother to stay out of trouble. “You need to get used to amusing yourself, Gloria. You're an adult now, no one's gonna entertain you. I've gotta go work. I've gotta be able to trust you.”


In walks Jack. A young man who forms a friendship with Gloria. He’s constantly going on about the end of the world while exhibiting a dangerous demeanor that Gloria is drawn to. Eventually, his attitude towards her becomes possessive and she finds herself co-dependent on him. The story takes an explosive turn once Jack erupts into an unforgivable act of violence.


From this point onwards, the novel morphs into a story of trauma and its lingering effects. We see how Gloria’s structured set of routines begins to crumble. She’s suddenly exposed to a world that doesn’t make sense to her, a system that’s unfamiliar, a darkness that wasn’t initially a part of her worldview. Not only can the aftereffects of trauma cause one to feel isolated and alone, what can it do to someone who already has difficulty expressing themselves? This novel presented some really interesting questions.


Gloria Don’t Speak is heartbreaking. The mood is quite atmospheric. The voice is consistently compelling. The plot goes into some unexpected places. A story about loneliness, trauma, codependency, and self-discovery. Impressive debut.

[victoria marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Longlisted for the 2026 Women’s Prize in Fiction

‘Okay,’ says Gloria.
Okayo kayo kay.
Sharp crack in the middle. She plays it round. She likes it.

2026 Women’s Prize—Fiction
in-progress personal ranking
—Gloria Don't Speak, Lucy Apps
—Audition, Katie Kitamura
—Dominion, Addie E. Citchens
—A Beast Slinks Towards Beijing, Alice Evelyn Yang
—Moderation, Elaine Castillo
—A Guardian & a Thief, Megha Majumdar
—The Correspondent, Virginia Evans
—Wild Dark Shore, Charlotte McConaghy
—Heart the Lover, Lily King
—Flashlight, Susan Choi
[10/13 of 16; up next: The Benefactors, Wendy Erskine & The Others, Sheena Kalayil & Paradiso 17, Hannah Lillith Assadi]

[Lynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tough read and quite maddening and depressing at times. I can’t say I enjoyed it exactly but it was brilliantly and very effectively written. I’m very glad I read it, it’s given me a lot to think about.

[Georgia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

A non-verbal main was a really interesting perspective that you don’t normally get but the plot just wasn’t there for me unfortunately.

[Sarah Rossi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ll be thinking about Gloria for a long time. Atmospheric writing that gave such a unique perspective. A hard read at times, I almost couldn’t bear to see what happened next. A clever ending.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was inspired to read this book after seeing it Longlisted for this year's Women's Prize for Fiction; what a find! This was a truly moving, original and thought-provoking novel that will stay with me for a long time! Fingers crossed that I'll see it on the shortlist too!

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gloria Don't Speak by Lucy Apps - ⭐⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 1/2

This is a unique novel because it brings me into the perspective of someone I rarely encounter in literature: a woman with a learning disability. Gloria is almost nonverbal and easily overwhelmed in noisy environments, and the novel places us directly inside her mind.

We follow her friendship with Jack, a man angry at the world. When he becomes involved in an act of violence, Gloria’s world is completely upended. Unable to answer the police’s questions afterward, she becomes quietly obsessed with the victim’s family. Years later, when Gloria is no longer living with her mother but in supported social care, she hears that Jack has been released from prison. The news unsettles her deeply and eventually leads her to commit a small—though still significant—act of violence herself.

It is a difficult and sometimes heavy read about a woman searching for companionship and understanding, while living with the long aftermath of violence.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book because Gloria is portrayed with great empathy. Being inside her head helped me understand people like her better. The novel draws on Lucy Apps’s experience volunteering with women with learning disabilities, and Gloria feels very real—like some friends I have known with similar disabilities.

The title is also quite interesting. Instead of “Gloria Doesn’t Speak,” it is “Gloria Don’t Speak.” I’m still thinking about the author’s intention behind this choice. It might echo Gloria’s own relationship with language and grammar, subtly reflecting the way the novel invites us into her perspective. (Do comment I you have different interpretation about this!)

I’m also impressed that this novel comes from an indie publisher, Weatherglass Books, and I’m glad it’s receiving the recognition it deserves.

[Elaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is undoubtedly well done, and very tense - putting us behind the eyes of a largely non-verbal young woman with unspecified special needs who is largely left to her own devices in a London that can be menacing. You root very hard for Gloria, and feel the loaded frustration of her inability to- unwillingness? - to express herself, except through occasional impulsive physical outbursts.


Nonetheless, it was a bit of a slog and I found myself skimming after the razor sharp first section. Maybe better as a thought experiment- or short story - than as a novel.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read the whole thing in one sleepless night and wanted to cry for Gloria at the end. This was so readable and propulsive, and had such a unique narrative voice. Despite being written in the third person, you get such a clear picture into Gloria’s mind. I don’t think there’s enough fiction about people with learning disabilities.

[Sara Woodcock · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

[Samantha Grenier · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fast but stressful read 😵‍💫

[AmyAmyAmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

5.5/5 my second read from the Women’s Prize for Fiction longlist this year and this was brilliant. Unbelievable debut novel.

[Paul Fulcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Longlisted for the 2026 Women's Prize for Fiction

Everybody says Why don't you speak or Do you speak or You should speak more or Can't you speak? Even this boy with his hat on his face. Even Jack says You don't talk much. She's mad. She's so mad and tired of everyone talking about words and speaking and whether she does it enough and how she should be different. She screams. She screams at the boy, one shout, one blast, just AAAH! No words.

Gloria Don't Speak is the debut novel by Lucy Apps, who was born in East London, works as a GP but has volunteers for many years to support women with learning disabilities.

And it is the January 2026 book from the highly recommended Republic of Consciousness Book of the Month club, which raises funds that support the UKs most exciting annual book prize, the Queen Mary Small Press Fiction Prize, as well as showcasing a collection of books from the vibrant small independent press scene.

This novel is published by Weatherglass Books, co-founded by Neil Griffiths, founder of the Republic of Consciousness Prize, and a highly-skilled editor as well as novelist in his own right - it's striking how almost every Weatherglass Books work the author acknowledges how much their work was polished by Neil, and his co-founder Damian.

The novel is narrated from the perspective of Gloria, a young woman with learning difficulties, and set in a carefully sketched East Ham area, which the reader can recognise from Gloria's descriptions of her surrounds.

It opens in Summer 1999. Gloria has recently left college and has befriended a local man, young but older than Gloria, Jack, who values her company but has issues of his own, angry at the world and a wannabe survivalist, convinced society is about to break down with the coming millennium bug.

It opens:

Jack is talking about the end of the world. Gloria listens. He's on about everything breaking down and burning. His words slide over each other in her head.

She concentrates on the circle of ketchup she's squeezing onto her paper and the way the room smells of vinegar, and the oil that sits on the skin of the chips and shines her fingertips smooth. Jack's house. Jack smiles at her and raises his can then sips from it and nods. Gloria looks down at the light gleaming on the red circle of ketchup. It's Monday afternoon in July. It's summer and she's finished college and they haven't had Christmas yet.

Jack eats his chips like he's angry with the air in front of him. He picks up his can and takes swigs and puts it down again. He keeps on doing the same motion. He don't just hold it in his hand. Gloria copies him with her Coke, picking it up and drinking then putting it down, her fingers all cold and wet from the tin.

'Want a beer?' Jack says.
Gloria don't speak.
'You can't be a kid all your life, Jack says.
Wanna beer wanna beer wanna beer.

She plays Jack's words over in her head, finding the rhythm. She rocks a little in time to the sound. Inside her mouth she runs her tongue over her teeth. She can feel her tongue on the inside of her cheeks and the hard dips and jags of her molars. Her teeth are warm from chips and sweet from ketchup. She don't want a beer. Jack has handed her his drink before and told her to take a sip. It was bitter and like metal. Not sweet.

The 'don't' in the title and this passage a clever tic the narration uses throughout to represent Gloria's perspective ('ain't' used similarly if less often).

The novel's pivotal scene takes part on the day of the solar eclipse (August 11th 1999), which catches Gloria by surprise in the park, where she has persuaded an edgy Jack to go for a walk. When it is over:

Jack wipes his eyes, rubs at them. 'Fucking mental innit', he says. 'See how quick things can happen? And then it's like they never happened. Proper mad innit, Gloria?’

But heading back to his flat, Jack is involved in an act of violence, one that happens quickly, but which, in strong contrast, has severe lingering consequences - for Jack a long spell in prison, and Gloria something which haunts her for the years, even decades.

The novel follows the aftermath for Gloria into New Year's Eve - where rather to her bemusement Jack's (and the IT contractor industry's!) apocalyptic predictions fail to materialise and through into 2021 when she is asked to testify against Jack - unsurprisingly to the reader Gloria Don't Speak - and then becomes obsessed with his victim's family.

The novel then takes us many years forward to 2017 - Gloria no longer lives with her mother but in social supported care. She hears suggestions Jack may have been released from prison, and on Guy Fawkes night, on the way to the display in Wanstead, she absconds from her carers and is involved in another act of violence - leading to a brilliant and moving scene of an interview with the police, that to Gloria blends with that from the early 2000s. And a coda set in 2019 gives us a more upbeat view of Gloria's state of mind.

Gloria Don't Speak deservedly featured in the Observer's prestiguous Best Debut Novelists of 2026 list, one which in past year's has augured prize success, and I'd love to see the same for this book.

[BethOnThePage · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gloria Don’t Speak by Lucy Apps — 1.5 stars

I picked this up because it was longlisted for the 2026 Women’s Prize for Fiction, and I know I am in the vast minority on this one, but it really did not work for me.

Set first in 1999, the novel follows Gloria, a 19-year-old young woman with significant support needs, as she moves through London in the long, unstructured days after her final year of school ends. She lives with her single mother, who works full-time, and it is immediately clear that Gloria is expected to occupy herself, stay safe, and somehow manage more independently than she is truly equipped to do.

Gloria rarely speaks. She covers her ears when things become too loud, screams and cries when overwhelmed, and seems to experience the world through sensation, color, sound, and fragments of thought more than language. The prose reflects that interiority through short, simple sentences and a limited perspective.

Most of the plot hinges on Gloria’s relationship with Jack, an older boy she meets on her walk home from “college.” Jack is volatile, bitter, deeply unwell, and full of rage at the world. He rants about his family, immigrants, single mothers—everyone, really—and Gloria mostly absorbs his presence rather than fully understanding him. He is cruel, dangerous, and predatory, yet he and Gloria are drawn together by their mutual isolation.

There is no question that this novel evokes emotion. It is sad, unsettling, and at times frightening. Lucy Apps absolutely captures Gloria’s vulnerability and the danger of moving through a world that does not know how to protect someone like her. I can understand why that landed so powerfully for other readers.

But for me, the book’s emotional impact was not enough.

What I could not get past was the way the story ultimately handles harm and accountability. Gloria is repeatedly shown to be someone profoundly unequipped to navigate the world on her own, and the novel makes plain how inadequate the systems around her are—at school, at home, and later in supported housing. That is clearly part of the point. But by the time Gloria commits a violent act of her own, I felt the book wanted my sympathy without fully reckoning with the consequences of what she had done.

And that is where it lost me.

I did feel empathy for Gloria. I felt sadness for her circumstances, frustration at how vulnerable she was, and anger at the failures surrounding her. But empathy does not erase harm, and I struggled with a resolution that seemed to ask me to move on more easily than I could. The novel’s treatment of violence felt emotionally one-sided to me, more interested in Gloria’s internal distress than in the full weight of what her actions meant for someone else.

So yes, I can see what this book was aiming for. I can see why readers admired its emotional force and its portrait of a marginalized young woman trying to exist in a world that continually fails her. But in the end, I came away more unconvinced than affected.

[Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everybody says Why don't you speak or Do you speak or You should speak more or Can't you speak? Even this boy with his hat on his face. Even Jack says You don't talk much. She's mad. She's so mad and tired of everyone talking about words and speaking and whether she does it enough and how she should be different. She screams. She screams at the boy, one shout, one blast, just AAAH! No words.

 
Longlisted for the 2026 Women’s Prize for Fiction

This book was featured in the 2026 version of the influential and frequently literary-prize-prescient annual Observer Best Debut Novelist feature
 
The accompanying article explaining how the author (whose younger brother Peter won the Orwell Prize for Political Writing for his account of the failings that lead to the Grenfell Tower tragedy) was informed in her writing about the main protagonist – a young woman with learning difficulties – by her day job as a GP and her volunteer work, and how she decided to capture the voice in a close third person narrative.
 
The novel opens in 1999 – Gloria has left college and is facing something of an uncertain future – spending much of her time walking around parks by herself in her (and the author’s) local area of Newham, East London and there she encounters and is befriended by a slightly older young man Jack – who lives on his own in a small flat.
 
Gloria as the title implies is close to non-verbal and when listening tends to focus on rhythm and sound (and physical experience) – and this is captured (in my view) brilliantly in the text, so for example
 

Want a beer?' Jack says.
Gloria don't speak.
'You can't be a kid all your life, Jack says.
Wanna beer wanna beer wanna beer.

She plays Jack's words over in her head, finding the rhythm. She rocks a little in time to the sound. Inside her mouth she runs her tongue over her teeth. She can feel her tongue on the inside of her cheeks and the hard dips and jags of her molars.
Her teeth are warm from chips and sweet from ketchup. She don't want a beer. Jack has handed her his drink before and told her to take a sip. It was bitter and like metal. Not sweet.

 
And this works well with Jack on one level as it gives him space to air his views – for example on the inevitable Millenium bug collapse of society for which (at least in his mind) he is preparing.
 
Jack’s relationship with Gloria (one of the very few things she hides from her protective mother) is non-sexual but there is an undercurrent (and more) of physical threat and Jack himself admits that he is easily wound up and prone to violent outbursts – and this culminates in an incident which leaves Jack in prison.
 
In a 2001 section we start with Gloria’s reluctance (or effectively inability) to testify at Jack’s trial – but her appearance there does give her a brief contact with the family of Jack’s victim – and from there she becomes obsessed with effectively stalking them – trying to come to terms with what she witnessed.
 
The final part of the book takes place some 16 years later on 5 November 2017– Gloria by now living in some form of supported-housing near her mother is told, without proof that Jack has been released and absconds on an accompanied trip to the fireworks (to the consternation of her carers) and finds herself back in a police station but this time being interviewed about a potential act of her own (this triggering a confluence in her mind with the police’s 2000 enquiries into, in effect, whether Jack’s
relationship with her was abusive) – before in a 2019 epilogue she finally gets a form of closure.
 
I have to say that I was very impressed with this novel – really well crafted (and edited) and a memorable protagonist with an empathetic presentation of a voice that I have rarely seen captured in literary fiction. Look out for this on prize lists.
 
My thanks to Neil Griffiths at Weatherglass for an ARC.

[East-Daikon · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first thing I want to say is Gloria can speak, she's not non-verbal, she just prefers not to speak unless it's necessary. The blurb where it says she has a learning disability I felt was misleading; it's not like she has specific problems reading or writing (typically that is what is meant by learning disability in my country) but she definitely has an intellectual impairment and something else as well possibly. Here are some examples from the text:

"He looks like the circle drawings of faces Gloria seen in school, to teach her what happy and sad look like."

"Gloria hates the supermarket and she puts her hands on her ears and closes her eyes a lot so mostly Mum goes by herself. "

"Mum hits her bum. ‘Gloria you’re nineteen! I don’t care if you’re special needs, you’re too old to be burying your face in the sofa with your arse in the air. You need to sit up and open your mouth and tell me what’s the problem. What’s happened? Has someone touched you?’"

(FYI there is a crime in this book but it's not what you expect so don't let that put you off.)

The first half of the book is when she's in her teens/early twenties - there's a terrible feeling of foreboding. Gloria is so vulnerable! She can't see when people are not to be trusted, can't see that some of her behaviours cross the line into stalking. Oh! I'd better stop talking now. The second half is when she's in her 40's and living in a group home - this feels more melancholy. Although the workers are decent they don't really understand her past and why certain things set her off.

This book is written in Gloria's voice (although it's third person) and that's what makes it shine. The way she thinks is wrong but makes sense given her history. She's an unexpectedly active protagonist who keeps doing things that give her mum/carers heart attacks when they find out.

Other reviewers have said the second half wasn't as strong but personally in the second half there's a scene where Gloria is being handcuffed that brought me to tears. Plus when you're not expecting it, an open question from the first half is answered, although it's easy to miss because it's written in an unusual indirect way where past memory is mixed with the present. Long story short, both parts are equally important. I don't want to say anything more about the plot, this is one where you should go in with no spoilers. It's a dark book but I loved it.

Really hoping this makes the women's prize shortlist, it's excellent.

[Jamad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Woman’s Prize Longlisted and, I hope, Booker.

Lucy Apps’s Gloria Don’t Speak is a thoughtful and quietly moving novel that follows the life of Gloria, a young woman with a learning disability growing up in east London. The story begins in the late 1990s when Gloria, recently out of college, spends her days wandering local parks and neighbourhood streets, observing the small rhythms of everyday life. Her world is narrow but carefully drawn, shaped by routine, familiar places, and the occasional moments of connection she finds along the way.

One afternoon Gloria meets Jack, a man who at first seems pleased to have someone willing to listen to him. Their unlikely friendship becomes an important part of Gloria’s life, offering the companionship she has long been missing. As the novel moves forward in time, the consequences of that relationship unfold and Gloria’s life continues across the following decades as she navigates supported housing, friendships, and the quiet challenges of everyday independence.

The novel is told through Gloria’s perspective, and Lucy Apps captures her voice with great sensitivity. The writing is simple and direct, but carefully tuned to the way Gloria notices details in the world around her. Through this perspective, ordinary places—a park bench, a bus ride, a walk through the neighbourhood—take on a vivid sense of presence.

What makes the book stand out is its compassion. Gloria’s hopes are modest but deeply human: companionship, stability, and a sense of belonging. Apps treats her character with patience and respect, allowing her life to unfold in small but meaningful moments.

Gloria Don’t Speak is an understated and empathetic novel that offers a fresh perspective and a memorable central character. It is a reflective, humane story that stays with you after the final pages.

[Shelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was incredibly grateful to be offered a slot on the book tour by @weatherglassbooks @kellydpike. This book sounded brilliant.

This is a debut novel which explores the vulnerabilities of a young woman with learning difficulties. The book is unflinchingly difficult to read at times, addressing uncomfortable truths about vulnerability, loneliness and manipulation. The narration from the FMC was brilliantly done, showing the world from her POV brilliantly. The writing is fantastic. Character development is good, and, when reading, I wanted to jump in a protect the FMC. I could see the ‘friend’ she had made was not going to be a good one. Although, at times, we could see their friendship had some merit, ultimately, it was two lost souls on the edges of society looking in - there, but not included; both lacking guidance (for different reasons).

I think this book raises important questions and shines a light on issues rarely covered in fiction. It was quite a difficult read, which, whilst it highlights important issues, I hope it doesn’t encourage people to falsely assume all people living with additional needs will encounter the same hardships and prejudices. As a trained SENDCO and Primary School teacher, I know support for vulnerable children and their families is, nationally, at a crisis point. With funding cuts and important roles disappearing within this sector (in education, community roles and within the NHS) this sort of book, with these themes/ topics, needs to be out there and need to be discussed.

I believe this author has worked in this field and volunteers working with vulnerable women. I look forward to reading more about this author and reading more from this author in the future.

Thank you again for my place on the tour. AD/ PR: GIFTED.

[Hayley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This took me a bit by surprise, it’s quite dark and despairing. Told from the perspective of Gloria who has severe learning difficulties. We experience the world from her perspective with overwhelming at times sensory challenges. She doesn’t speak much.
The first part in 2000 she is hanging out with a boy called Jack. Jack takes drugs (or that’s how it’s described) and takes advantage of Gloria. He threatens her to remain his friend, she doesn’t understand. She witnesses him murder a man which he is sent to prison for.
A year later she becomes obsessed with the murdered man’s family. She follows them everywhere picking up litter they have discarded. One of the sons drops his house key and she takes it to go into their house. She just wants to feel close to the family but obviously they don’t see it that way.
Now in 2017 she’s living in an assisted living facility. She still struggles a lot and not much has changed. The carer team take the residents out for fireworks night. She thinks she’s Jack and escapes off the bus. She chases the man and pushes him into the road. It’s not Jack. She runs and hides in bushes in the dark saying to herself she will live outside like Jack told her he could do. The police arrive (they’re chasing another boy who also threatens her) and they arrest her for assault of the man in the road. They question her but she doesn’t speak much.
The police let her go. And in 2019 she sees the real Jack but he mildly recognizes her and lets her go.

I felt very frustrated for Gloria, her mum and carers. A real eye opening perspective of living with learning difficulties like this. Despairing because of the socioeconomic backdrop, a dark underbelly of London.

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

oh, this was so good!! told from the perspective of gloria, originally 19, who has special needs and "don't speak", this is such a great construction of voice. the voice is what propels this. it's unusual in fiction and lucy apps uses the echolalia that gloria experiences to repeat phrases, sounds, etc in the text. obviously this isn't very usual but it was a really great experience -- watching the world through gloria's eyes and gloria's understanding. her inner monologue doesn't always marry up with the outer world and what she is able to express is far lower than what she actually experiences. there's a lot of focus on nature, on patterns and repetition here.

this is such a stark contrast the splintering of the text, which is a very violent moment, although it's not the only one. i actually felt like my heart was in my throat a few times here. i was desperately worried for and about gloria, who is a vulnerable adult who craves connection. her friendship with jack seems to give this to her but he's unstable, paranoid, desperately unhappy and clearly craves control. it is so touching and impactful how much gloria still longs for this even after she's actively been traumatised by jacks actions.

i thought this was lovely and tender. really wonderful and it felt unique and almost precious. it's a small story, but gloria's world is small even though it means so, so much. gorgeous.

[mrsbookworm5 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, Gloria… what a debut.

This is such a sensitively written novel, with a deep awareness of a young, vulnerable woman navigating her world. Gloria is largely non-verbal, yet the author allows us full access to her thoughts, her routines, and her feelings in a way that feels both intimate and respectful.

She forms an attachment to Jack, a man she meets while out walking. They share simple moments—talking, drinking Coke, eating chips—and what develops is a quiet, tentative friendship. There’s an underlying tension too: Jack clearly wants more, though he never quite crosses the line. Whether Gloria feels the same is less certain, but at 19, she is beginning to experience emotions she doesn’t fully understand.

When Jack commits a violent crime against a man who had shown concern for Gloria, everything changes. The fragile world Gloria has built is suddenly disrupted. She misses Jack deeply but struggles to process both his absence and her own complicated feelings.

As the novel progresses, Gloria transitions into more independent living, alongside supported and assisted care. Watching her try to make sense of loss, change, and her own emotional landscape is both moving and challenging.

This is a novel written with real empathy and understanding—quiet, powerful, and deeply affecting.

[Lindsay Andros · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gloria is a young woman with an intellectual disability. Recently graduated from school, she has no friends and nothing to do except hang out with her new friend, Jack, as they wander through the town’s many parks and eateries. But one day, Jack gets angry, and does something violent. Nearly two decades later, Jack is out of prison and back in town, and Gloria’s world is thrown into turmoil.

I found this novel to be a moving, accurate portrayal of the lasting effects of trauma and the ways in which it can affect the behaviors of those who experience it. Although the first-person protagonist is disabled, I think that anyone who has been involved with traumatic incidents will be able to see themselves in Gloria and her responses. While Gloria is not someone who speaks frequently as a result of her disability, it is difficult to express the thoughts and emotions that go along with experiencing events like this; in that way, I think this novel works on both a literal and metaphorical level. It is a unique perspective for a difficult topic, and one that I think should be read widely. I’ll definitely be thinking about this one for a while.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars - A wonderfully atmospheric and compelling debut novel told from a fresh perspective. The story is told from Gloria's perspective. She is nineteen at the start of the story, mostly nonverbal, has a significant learning disability, and gets overwhelmed by too much noise or stimulation. Gloria's single mom works during the day, so Gloria is left to walk around her neighborhood to fill the time. She befriends a man, and it becomes clear that their friendship is not going to lead anywhere good for Gloria.

I found myself fully invested in Gloria's wellbeing early on and was feeling the stress of knowing something terrible could happen at any moment. It was a frustrating reading experience because you want Gloria to make wiser choices and to not put herself in harms way, but you also understand that Gloria does not perceive situations in the same way as the reader. It was such a unique and memorable reading experience, and it felt like I was dropped inside someone's day to day life while I was reading it. I am glad the Women's Prize for Fiction brought this book to my attention.

[Helen Haythornthwaite · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a beautifully written book, but I just felt so sorry for Gloria the whole time I was reading it.

Gloria is a young woman with a learning disability, who rarely speaks. Her other senses seem heightened though; and we see her inner turmoil as she tries to make sense of the sights she sees and sounds she hears. We find out how she has learnt to cope in a world which she doesn’t understand in the same way as others may do; and we see what happens when she’s not coping too.

My heart really went out to Gloria, and I just wanted her mum to do more for her. My feelings alternated between sympathy for Gloria and anger towards her mum. I just wanted her to show more interest in her daughter, find out what she liked doing and organise more activities for her so she wouldn’t have to spend her days like she did.

Having said that, I think the author gives the reader a very empathetic insight into how some people see the world, and the chaotic thoughts that could be whirring through their minds. This novel certainly brings more awareness to the vulnerable people in our society, and I think it’s one of those books we all should be mindful of.

[Braird · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the immersion of this read. It's really effective at placing the reader into a tactile world - a world without semantics, frequently driven by impulse. It's easy to reflect on how much our understanding of our lives and our selves is reliant on cues we often take for granted, especially when it comes to protecting ourselves from the insidious - both external and internal.

The world around Gloria feels rich and alive. The world inside her feels rich and alive too, albeit in a different way. There is no sweeping and cinematic character arc here - but is that what real life has to offer?

There's just enough here to raise some big questions, such as the structures we have in place to support and protect society's most vulnerable, including women and the differently abled. But - not to be all 'what about the men?!' - I felt there was a lick of this in Jack too. With him as the spectre of the novel, it feels like there was more left unsaid about how people become radicalised into committing horrific acts of violence. But maybe that is a different story altogether.

[Cate Irving · Rating 4 out of 5]

what a beautiful and sad book!

Lucy Apps has such a glorious talent of writing the inner thoughts of Gloria, a girl who will not/cannot speak her mind. yet we, as the reader, are allowed a front row seat to her mind as she struggles to comprehend the world.

it’s so refreshing to read about female characters with learning disabilities in a world where the media constantly misrepresents them or only paints them from a male perspective.

Gloria’s relationship with Jack is so fascinating, you can really feel the safety barrier break around them and the panic in her. also, as their friendship builds to the end we know is coming, you are constantly asking: what is next? it’s interesting to look at the morality of Gloria and what happens in the latter half of the book, whether she is good or bad or if there is no such thing.

for such a short book, it surely packs a punch! so excited to see it long-listed for the Women’s Prize for Fiction this year!

[Inge · Rating 5 out of 5]

First finished book on the 2026 Women’s Prize for Fiction longlist, and it’s already a winner. I love that we got a novel through the perspective of someone with a learning disability, without the story ever taking away her agency or patronising her. This was written beautifully and thoughtfully. I love how Gloria’s thoughts were included into this; it was never done to appear more sophisticated or literary (sometimes with these perspectives you get the sense the author is patting themselves on the back for how clever their writing is), but solely to accentuate Gloria’s perception of the world. It’s an incredible book about trauma, living with a disability and how different our perspectives all are.

[Sasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

5* - got this from bookbar, i can already tell I’ll like it by the style of writing. It’s about someone disabled who witnesses a crime and their perception of it, how they act afterwards which is so interesting (and awkward) and how their life changes when the perpetrator leaves prison. It’s just so good and shows vulnerability so well, literally couldn’t stop reading it, it was just amazing. Reminds me of Eleanor Oliphant but a bit more of a plot; also tackles PTSD too which is ofc interesting as I’ve just been diagnosed with it lol, but also interesting in seeing how it affects someone that doesn’t speak. Really good, idk if I just want it to be one of my fave books ever or it actually is, but either way I love it, and such a warm wholesome ending. Obsessed