Three Rooms by Jo Hamya

A picture of the confusing postreferendum landscape for young millennials, Three Rooms brings together themes of class, race and belonging in a time when the usual displacement and uncertainty of early adulthood are amplified by the bitter division caused by Brexit. The protagonist’s desires are so simple: a rented property in which to entertain friends, but Jo Hamya lays bare how out of reach this basic achievement is for those on the bottom rung of the ladder. The interactions with the other characters are fascinating and insightful and, although the cynicism is sometimes overplayed, this is still a profound and relatable novel.