Like a Brother | Nathanael Lessore

THEY’RE TOTALLY DIFFERENT. EXCEPT IN ALL THE WAYS THAT MATTER.

Owais lives a chill life. He’s well-liked, funny and everything’s a breeze – until his estranged cousin shows up.

Loud, unpredictable and one bad decision away from serious trouble, Abass crashes into Owais’ laidback world like a hurricane: picking fights, ruining parties, disappearing without explanation and clogging toilets in places he absolutely shouldn’t.

But as the boys get to know each other and their bond deepens, Owais starts to see there’s more to Abass than the chaos – and more to himself than just being the popular guy who coasts through life. Because sometimes, the person who turns your world upside down is also the person who helps you figure out where you’re really meant to be . . .

Nathanael Lessore was born in Camberwell, South East London, as one of eight children to French and Madagascan parents. Although he has spent most of his life in Peckham, Nathanael has also lived in Paris, Strasbourg and Singapore. Nathanael can run 100 metres in under 10 minutes and has trouble finding sunglasses that frame his face properly. His debut book Steady For This was shortlisted for the Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing 2024 and won the Branford Boase Award 2024. He is also the author of King of Nothing, and writes stories that show his South East London childhood as the funny, warm, adventurous world that wasn’t always represented as such.