Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rainbow Milk | 2020 | Paul Mendez | Buy |
Paul Mendez’s standalone novels currently consist of his debut, Rainbow Milk, published in 2020. The novel draws on Mendez’s own experience growing up as a Jehovah’s Witness in the Black Country before moving to London. It was longlisted for the Portico Prize and attracted significant critical attention for its frank treatment of race, sexuality, and class in Britain.
Rainbow Milk is structured around two parallel narratives separated by decades. The first follows Norman as he arrives in England from Jamaica in the 1950s, while the second tracks Jesse McCarthy in early 2000s London as he tries to build a new life after leaving the church. Mendez writes with an unsparing eye, and the novel has been compared to the work of James Baldwin for its willingness to confront difficult truths about identity and belonging.