Bellies

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What to expect

Brought to you by Penguin.

It begins as your typical boy meets boy. While out with friends at a university drag night, Tom buys Ming a drink. Confident and witty, a charming young playwright, Ming is the perfect antidote to Tom's awkward energy, and their connection is instant. Tom finds himself deeply and desperately drawn into Ming's orbit, and on the cusp of graduation, he's already mapped out their future together. But, shortly after they move to London to start their next chapter, Ming announces her intention to transition.

From London to Kuala Lumpur, New York to Cologne, we follow Tom and Ming as they face shifts in their relationship in the wake of Ming's transition. Through a spiral of unforeseen crises - some personal, some professional, some life-altering - Tom and Ming are forced to confront the vastly different shapes their lives have taken since graduating, and each must answer the essential question: is it worth losing a part of yourself to become who you are?

'Smart, hilarious and deeply moving' Elliot Page, author of Pageboy

'Bellies announces Nicola Dinan as a genuine literary talent, a gimlet-eyed cartographer of the human heart' Sharlene Teo, author of Ponti

'Thoughtful, seductive, and entirely engrossing - Bellies is already a classic' Bryan Washington, author of Memorial and Lot


©2023 Nicola Dinan (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Critics Review

  • At its best, Bellies is as deep as it is chic

    Guardian

  • The most hotly anticipated novel of the summer

    Harper's Bazaar

  • A tender, emotional exploration of gender and sexual identity

    Marie Claire

  • Divides itself, with apt fluidity, between both lovers’ perspectives

    Chris Power, Sunday Times

  • A poignant tale that explores the messy complexities of relationships, with recognisably imperfect characters at its core

    Sunday Times Style

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