€5 off first Book Purchase of €50+ | With Code: CHAPTERSBOOKSTORE
THE INSTANT CULT CLASSIC FROM THE WINNER OF THE O. HENRY PRIZE
'Full of dark, deadpan humour, Brat is a raucous story of the messy, messed-up business of living, dying and having a family.' Financial Times
'A moving coming-of-age family story' Observer
'Beautifully written, hilarious, and heartbreaking' Daily Mail
'A raw, delicate tale about grief and growing up' The New Yorker
'Iconic', Radio 1
'The novel crackles with gothic horror, deadpan humor, and a damning sense of alienation that you won't soon shake.' Chicago Review of Books
'Instead of resolving his novel's many mysteries, Smith explores how this family navigates the disputed borders of its shared memories, pondering what it means to choose one story over another-as well as the consequences of refusing to choose, especially in the wake of grief.' The New York Times
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gabriel's skin is falling off.
His dad is dead.
He owes his editor a novel.
His girlfriend won't answer his calls.
Tasked by his horribly well-adjusted brother with clearing out the family home for sale, Gabriel's sanity quickly begins to unravel. His parents' old manuscripts appear to change each time he reads them. A bizarre home video hints at long-buried secrets. And there's a hideous man in the garden.
Disquieting and hilarious, taut yet lyrical, blisteringly-paced but formally inventive, Brat is a mediation on grief, art and love that will leave you altered, breathless and desperate for more.
From a stunningly original new talent, this is a debut novel unlike anything you have read before.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'This original, clever story is brilliant on grief, madness and creativity. It's beautifully written, hilarious and heart-breaking. I raced through it.' Daily Mail
'For readers looking for something that will grip you from start to finish, Brat is sure to be your breath of fresh air. The novel crackles with gothic horror, deadpan humor, and a damning sense of alienation that you won't soon shake.' Chicago Review of Books
'Smith's picaresque first novel is told from the perspective of Gabriel, a writer struggling with numerous issues . . . a deeply gothic work that never quite settles the reader in a certain world as Gabriel's foibles, ghostly visions, and uncertainties filter every moment. Written in short, clipped chapters and featuring uproarious dialogue (especially with Gabriel's brother), this is a darkly comic and brilliantly unusual debut.' Booklist
'[Smith's] dialogue shines . . . Readers who appreciate the morbidly funny and the just plain morbid will find a lot to love in these pages. A weird and darkly funny novel from a writer to watch.' Kirkus
'It's a book about loss and the anxiety of the modern age, tinged with humor and deep insight that will stay with readers long after the last page is turned.' Town & Country
'Gabriel Smith has written a truly unique and surprising book. He is the rarest thing: a distinctive stylist on the line and structure level. Brat is so strange and so funny. I laughed a lot while reading.' Rachel Connolly, author of Lazy City
'Messy with glitched realities and body horror, Brat breathes the same thrillingly claustrophobic air as Inland Empire and Ubik. It's a skin-shedding ouroboros of grief and laughter, and the most brain-melting British debut I've read in ages.' Ed Park, author of Same Bed Different Dreams
'Gabriel Smith's prose is like if Joan Didion and Shirley Jackson took Xanax and used the internet. Brat is a sharp, eerie, confident debut about grief, memory, art, and so much more. Smith is a major new talent.' Jordan Castro, author of The Novelist
'Gabriel Smith's jauntily creepy and hilarious tale of a grief-stalked scapegrace's sloughing-off and regeneration of selves in the filial murk of a moldering homestead is a Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man for a new, quaking generation. Brat will unnerve and seduce you.' Garielle Lutz, author of Worsted
'Smith's picaresque first novel is told from the perspective of Gabriel, a writer struggling with numerous issues . . . a deeply gothic work that never quite settles the reader in a certain world as Gabriel's foibles, ghostly visions, and uncertainties filter every moment. Written in short, clipped chapters and featuring uproarious dialogue (especially with Gabriel's brother), this is a darkly comic and brilliantly unusual debut.' Booklist
'[Smith's] dialogue shines . . . Readers who appreciate the morbidly funny and the just plain morbid will find a lot to love in these pages. A weird and darkly funny novel from a writer to watch.' Kirkus
'Full of dark, deadpan humour, Brat is a raucous story of the messy, messed-up business of living, dying and having a family.' Financial Times
'A moving coming-of-age family story' Observer
'Beautifully written, hilarious, and heartbreaking' Daily Mail
'A raw, delicate tale about grief and growing up' The New Yorker
'Iconic', Radio 1
'The novel crackles with gothic horror, deadpan humor, and a damning sense of alienation that you won't soon shake.' Chicago Review of Books
'Instead of resolving his novel's many mysteries, Smith explores how this family navigates the disputed borders of its shared memories, pondering what it means to choose one story over another-as well as the consequences of refusing to choose, especially in the wake of grief.' The New York Times
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gabriel's skin is falling off.
His dad is dead.
He owes his editor a novel.
His girlfriend won't answer his calls.
Tasked by his horribly well-adjusted brother with clearing out the family home for sale, Gabriel's sanity quickly begins to unravel. His parents' old manuscripts appear to change each time he reads them. A bizarre home video hints at long-buried secrets. And there's a hideous man in the garden.
Disquieting and hilarious, taut yet lyrical, blisteringly-paced but formally inventive, Brat is a mediation on grief, art and love that will leave you altered, breathless and desperate for more.
From a stunningly original new talent, this is a debut novel unlike anything you have read before.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'This original, clever story is brilliant on grief, madness and creativity. It's beautifully written, hilarious and heart-breaking. I raced through it.' Daily Mail
'For readers looking for something that will grip you from start to finish, Brat is sure to be your breath of fresh air. The novel crackles with gothic horror, deadpan humor, and a damning sense of alienation that you won't soon shake.' Chicago Review of Books
'Smith's picaresque first novel is told from the perspective of Gabriel, a writer struggling with numerous issues . . . a deeply gothic work that never quite settles the reader in a certain world as Gabriel's foibles, ghostly visions, and uncertainties filter every moment. Written in short, clipped chapters and featuring uproarious dialogue (especially with Gabriel's brother), this is a darkly comic and brilliantly unusual debut.' Booklist
'[Smith's] dialogue shines . . . Readers who appreciate the morbidly funny and the just plain morbid will find a lot to love in these pages. A weird and darkly funny novel from a writer to watch.' Kirkus
'It's a book about loss and the anxiety of the modern age, tinged with humor and deep insight that will stay with readers long after the last page is turned.' Town & Country
'Gabriel Smith has written a truly unique and surprising book. He is the rarest thing: a distinctive stylist on the line and structure level. Brat is so strange and so funny. I laughed a lot while reading.' Rachel Connolly, author of Lazy City
'Messy with glitched realities and body horror, Brat breathes the same thrillingly claustrophobic air as Inland Empire and Ubik. It's a skin-shedding ouroboros of grief and laughter, and the most brain-melting British debut I've read in ages.' Ed Park, author of Same Bed Different Dreams
'Gabriel Smith's prose is like if Joan Didion and Shirley Jackson took Xanax and used the internet. Brat is a sharp, eerie, confident debut about grief, memory, art, and so much more. Smith is a major new talent.' Jordan Castro, author of The Novelist
'Gabriel Smith's jauntily creepy and hilarious tale of a grief-stalked scapegrace's sloughing-off and regeneration of selves in the filial murk of a moldering homestead is a Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man for a new, quaking generation. Brat will unnerve and seduce you.' Garielle Lutz, author of Worsted
'Smith's picaresque first novel is told from the perspective of Gabriel, a writer struggling with numerous issues . . . a deeply gothic work that never quite settles the reader in a certain world as Gabriel's foibles, ghostly visions, and uncertainties filter every moment. Written in short, clipped chapters and featuring uproarious dialogue (especially with Gabriel's brother), this is a darkly comic and brilliantly unusual debut.' Booklist
'[Smith's] dialogue shines . . . Readers who appreciate the morbidly funny and the just plain morbid will find a lot to love in these pages. A weird and darkly funny novel from a writer to watch.' Kirkus
- Publisher Name:Simon & Schuster Ltd
- ISBN: 9781398525337
- Author:Smith, Gabriel
- Publication Date:2025-04-10
Refund Policy
If you are not satisfied with your order in any way, get in touch. We have an excellent customer service record and we will do our best to ensure you are pleased with your purchase.
📄 Exercise Your Right of Withdrawal
Under EU consumer law, you have the right to withdraw from your purchase within 14 days of receiving your order, without giving a reason. To formally exercise this right, use the button below. This is a distinct function separate from our general returns process.
Your right to cancel
If you order online, you have the right to cancel your order within 14 days of receiving your goods, without giving a reason. This cooling-off period runs from the day you (or someone you nominate) receives the last item in your order. To cancel, contact us at shop@chaptersbookstore.com stating your order number and your wish to withdraw from the purchase. Once we've confirmed your cancellation, you have 14 days to send the goods back to us.
Condition of returned items
To be eligible for a refund, your item must be returned unworn, unused and unread, in its original packaging, and in the same condition you received it. You'll also need your receipt or proof of purchase. If your return is based on the item's condition on arrival, please include a photo so we can advise the best resolution.
Faulty or damaged items
Please inspect your order on arrival and contact us immediately if an item is defective, damaged, or not what you ordered. Separately from the 14-day cancellation right above, you're entitled to a repair, replacement or refund on faulty goods for up to two years from purchase, under standard consumer guarantee rights.
This guarantee covers manufacturing faults only, such as printing errors, missing pages, or binding defects present at the time of purchase. It does not cover damage arising from normal use or wear, including creased spines, worn covers, marked pages or general signs of reading. If you're unsure whether an issue qualifies, send us a photo and we'll be happy to advise.
How to return
To start a return, contact us at shop@chaptersbookstore.com. If your return is accepted, we'll send you a return shipping label and instructions on how and where to send your package. Items sent back to us without first requesting a return will not be accepted. If a return is due to an error on our part, we'll cover the postage cost.
Exceptions and non-returnable items
Certain items cannot be returned, including custom products, special orders, sale items and gift cards.
Trade-In Programme
If you're trading in previously owned books rather than returning a purchase, please see our separate Trade-In Programme terms, which operate independently of this policy.
Refunds
Once we've received and inspected your return, we'll let you know if the refund has been approved. If approved, you'll be refunded automatically to your original payment method. Please allow some time for your bank or card provider to process and post the refund.
Free Delivery in the Republic Of Ireland on all orders over €30. Standard Delivery Charge in Republic of Ireland of €5 for all orders below €30.
Delivery is subject to warehouse availability. Out-of-stock items will be shipped as soon as possible, upon arrival from the manufacturer/publisher. Please take shipping time into consideration.
