Mamele

Gemma Reeves is a writer and teacher who lives and works in London. She graduated with distinction from the MA in Creative Writing at Bath Spa University and holds an MA in Twentieth Century Literature from Goldsmiths. She has co-written award-winning non-fiction books and her fiction has been shortlisted for the 2017 V.S. Pritchett Short Story Prize, Highly Commended in the 2019 Bridport Prize, and longlisted for the Brick Lane Bookshop Short Story Prize and BBC National Short Story Award in 2020. VICTORIA PARK, Gemma's debut novel, was published by Allen & Unwin (Atlantic Books) in January 2021.

‘Though it’s marketed as a drama exploring cultural inheritance, separation and desire, Mamele is best read as a malignant ghost story … Estrangement becomes doubly haunting … Reeves understands, sympathetically, that loss isn’t a void but a placeholder – a horror that endures’ Kate Simpson, Telegraph, 4 STARS‘Brilliant on motherhood, complicated relationships and how coming to terms with the past is the best way to move towards a better future. Thoughtful and compelling’ Daily Mail'A profoundly moving study of family, motherhood and relationships' Marie Claire, Editor's Pick, Best Books of 2024‘Mamele won my heart. A complex story about motherhood, inheritance and the things we're willing to forsake in the name of desire. Reeves' prose is muscular and moving – a triumph.’ AMY TWIGG, author of Spoilt Creatures‘A haunting novel, deeply felt and melodically composed, which asks the question: can we escape the fate our families assign us? Overwhelming and seductive.’ LUCIE ELVEN, author of The Weak Spot‘One of the best books I’ve read in a while – one of those rare, perfect novels where I found myself hurrying back to it but also dreading its end. The characters are alive, gleaming with truth and nuance. The prose is deft, moving, full of surprise. A real triumph; it deserves to soar’ ELIZABETH MACNEAL, author of The Doll Factory‘I absolutely adored the sensual journey Mamele took me on. Gemma’s prose is immersive. It is such a personal story, yet, it feels like a journey of discovery … Mamele is fresh and daring’ KATE SAWYER, author of The Stranding'A mesmerising and deeply felt novel about mothers and daughters, inheritance, art, intimacy and desire. I’ll be thinking about it for some time' CHLOE ASHBY, author of Wet Paint and Second Self