The Grand Scheme of Things : the bold new novel about prejudice in the theatre world

Description

by Jay, Warona | Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945)
Published 17/07/2025 by Footnote Press Ltd in the United Kingdom
Paperback | 304 pages

Meet Relebogile Naledi Mpho Moruakgomo. Or, for short, Eddie: an aspiring playwright who dreams of making it big in London’s theatre world. But after repeated rejections from white talent agents, Eddie suspects her non-white sounding name might be the problem.

Enter Hugo Lawrence Smith: good looking, well-connected, charismatic and . . . very white. Stifled by his law degree and looking for a way out of the corporate world, he finds a kindred spirit in Eddie after a chance encounter at a cafe. Together they devise a plan which will see Eddie’s play on stage and Hugo’s name in lights and expose the theatre world for its racism and hollow clout-chasing.

But as their plan spins wildly out of control, Eddie and Hugo find themselves wondering if their reputations, and their friendship, can survive.