Manny and the Baby

‘Manny and the Baby stood out for me from the first few lines. The beautifully balanced prose, the wonderful story, and sumptuous detail are constructed with poetic precision and held my attention right until the very end.’

-- Jacqueline Crooks, author of Fire Rush

‘Manny and The Baby doesn’t fall into the trap of cliches. It’s packed with originality and emotion. Varaidzo builds two worlds like no other in this tale and that’s why this book is so brilliant. A modern twist where nostalgia and the present day intertwine beautifully.’

-- Iggy London

‘Transporting … an uplifting ode to the power of family and enduring love.’

-- Francesca Brown * Stylist *

‘Manny and the Baby is not just a book, it is an immersion into the mind of a writer who knows the value and purpose of every paragraph, sentence, and word, the work of a refreshing and unmatched talent. There is a richness to this world and these characters that makes you see them beyond the page, and remember them long after you’ve finished the book, leaving you desperate to find them all over again.’

-- Ore Agbaje-Williams, author of The Three of Us

‘Varaidzo is a spellbinding writer. A literary time traveller. Taking the reader between worlds so effortlessly. Breaking our hearts tenderly and somehow putting it back together again. An incredible debut, I’m already thinking about when I’ll read Manny and the Baby again.’

-- Kelechi Okafor, author of Edge of Here

‘Varaidzo provides telling portraits of black British lives, past and present.’

-- Nick Rennison * The Sunday Times *

‘An incredibly special writer, thoughtful and energetic, occasionally savage, wise beyond her years, with an eye and an ear for syntax that is masterful ... Varaidzo is the future, and Manny and the Baby is a book for the ages.’

-- Nikesh Shukla

‘The writing draws you in with the warmth of a crackly two bar heater. Varaidzo is a careful, skilful writer who has pulled off a layered story with verve and style. Varaidzo’s debut novel offers a beautifully clear window into lives and histories that would be otherwise hidden, just out of sight. I’ll walk Soho’s streets differently after Manny and the Baby.’

-- Emma Warren * Heavenly Recordings *

‘One of my favourite books this year.’

-- Jamz Supernova * BBC 6 Music *

‘Loved the exquisite writing, the scene-setting, the absolute energy of the characters, how it all plays out.’

* Bookbag *

‘Manny and the Baby was the first book I read this year, and I already know it will be the best book I read this year.’

-- Femilola * Roundtable Books *

‘The descriptions of smoky Soho Jazz clubs are vivid and enticing, and the struggles of black people then, contrasted with now, are thought provoking and important. It’s great on relationships of all kinds, grief, and shared history.’

-- Sara Lawrence * Daily Ma