Rosewater: the debut novel from Liv Little

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Often when you have older characters in books, you run the risk of them becoming teachable characters for the younger generation and I really didn’t want it to be like that,” says Little. “I wanted everyone, regardless of age, to be able to show up as their full selves and live full and dynamic lives.” A gritty, heartfelt, no holds barred look at life and love in present-day London.” - Andrea Lee, author of Red Island House She went over all the dialects with me to make sure everything was right,” Little remembers fondly. Elsewhere, Elsie’s ode to her grandmother’s Pepper Pot recipe – one of four beautiful poems by Kai-Isaiah Jamal in the book – brought tears to Little’s eyes. That part of herself she is absolutely certain of and that was really important to me,” the author says. “There didn’t need to be some traumatic coming out moment or story, it’s not about that.”

I had a dad who grew up with debt. I did a lot of research around the legislation, the psychology, the PTSD, the trauma, the anxiety, drawing from my own experiences as well. There are moments in the book where [Elsie] just forgets to breathe and that’s something I did for a long time. I’ve struggled with my mental health, that feeling of panic and terror.”

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A deliciously gritty and strikingly bold debut novel about discovering love where it has always been. verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{

I’m definitely not the main character,” she explains, “but I drew a lot of inspiration from the people and places that mean a lot to me.” Case in point: Little’s grandma, who she has previously described as “the sassiest lady” she knows, is the muse behind Elsie’s grandmother, and brings the richness of Guyanese culture to life through her food and colloquialisms. But there is a stiffness to the structure of the sentences – “The sound of smashing glass jolts me violently out of sleep, interrupting the chaos of my hellish dream” – reminiscent of seeing a dancer counting their steps on stage. The dialogue is similarly overconstructed, especially in the case of Juliet, who sometimes speaks in lines from old romcoms (“I think that if you come here, kiss me and tell me how you absolutely can’t live without me …”). The difficulty of being estranged from her family, struggle of being continually rejected from jobs, and fear of never making money doing what she loves, is too great. But Elsie is determined to keep the faith, for a little longer at least. Things will surely turn around. They have to. Olivia Little (born 1994) is the founder of gal-dem, an English online and print magazine run by women of colour, which ceased publication in 2023. [1] In 2016, she was listed as one of the BBC's 100 Women. [2] She published her first novel, Rosewater in 2023. Rosewater is a story so wonderfully imbued with a sense of family, community and the importance of finding your place in the world—but more than anything, it's a stunning exploration of the ways in which friendship can deepen into an unbreakable bond of romantic love. I consumed it in breathless gulps’ - Sareeta DomingoElsie is a sexy, funny, and fiercely independent woman in south London. But several things in her life have gone terribly wrong. She’s estranged from her family; is failing to make it as a poet; and has just been evicted from her social housing. As fierce and independent as she is, even Elsie must admit that being a carefree 28-year-old is proving difficult—and that she’s running out of options. This one’s about as buzzy as it gets in queer world—gritty characters, subtle social commentary, the messes and marvels of life itself inform this debut novel that you won’t be able to put down. A sometime stunning mediation on friendship deepening unexpectedly into love, intermixed with poetry by Kai-Isaiah Jamal, this little gem about a poet trying to make it in South London, is nothing short of gorgeous.” - no kill magazine A beautifully rendered story about love's possibilities and its limits. I laughed, I cried, couldn't put it down." - Monica Heisey gal-dem founder Liv Little’s “remarkable” debut novel, Rosewater, has been snapped up in a six-figure pre-empt by Dialogue Books. A queer coming-of-age story capturing the existential, aimless dread of the moment.” - Nylon (An April 2023 Must-Read Book)

Little published her first novel, Rosewater, in 2023. [9] Writing in The Observer, Yagnishsing Dawoor described it as "a beautiful ode to queer love and friendship". [10] Selected publications [ edit ] Little gifts us with a novel that tells of the love, courage, grace and power of a connection and a softness that propels us through the messy, harsh realities of life and self discovery- to know yourself through the love that knows you. Elsie is loveable and frustrating and swaggering and vulnerable, a wonderful protagonist. Frank, sexy, and so tender. Little's pen shines’ - Bolu BabalolaA paeon to a queer love affair that’s sexy, complex and romantic. Effortlessly capturing our uncertain zeitgeist” Evening Standard

Beautifully rendered . . . I laughed, I cried, couldn’t put it down.” - Monica Heisey, bestselling author of Really Good, Actually Rosewater is funny, witty, messy, and beautifully queer . . . a story that seeps into you the way warm sunshine does at the final edges of winter." - Nicole Dennis-Benn I’m not going,’ I say defiantly with all the strength I can induce. I’m holding in tears for fear that I’ll lose control, completely overflow and drown in my melancholy.” For most of the book, Elsie is standing at the edge of a precipice, looking down. She is jobless and finds herself living with her estranged best friend, Juliet. For a long time, compliments about Elsie’s poetry “don’t convert to cash or opportunities”. Yet Rosewater is never mournful or dull. Little has a touch for counterbalancing tragedy with humour and moments of real, rousing joy. It’s such a relief to see the women in Elsie’s life – Juliet, Elsie’s friend for sex Bea, her maternal grandmother, as well as her older lesbian friend Maggie – keep her going. Think drinks, impromptu darts session and helpings of goat curry. Think lingerie-shopping and bonding over RuPaul’s Drag Race. It’s a pleasure too to read Elsie’s raw, heartfelt poetry (written for the book by the spoken word poet Kai-Isaiah Jamal) or the refreshingly original sex scenes that Little grounds in play, consent and mutuality. Rosewater is a good book. But there are times when the writing style is self-conscious and overblown. For example:Rosewater feels like a song for the dreamers who are trying to find their way. It is a wonderful, messy, heart-filled novel’ - Jendella Benson