Soon Come
UK Publisher
Dialogue Books
Date Published
September 25th, 2025
Centred in a Jamaican restaurant in London, Judith, Mikey and Frankie help each other attempt to plant roots in a country that has been anything but kind to them.
Disruptor Mikey uses art and politics to respond to the injustices he sees. Judith conforms, seeking financial security in an ordinary life as a nurse in order to take care of her family back home. Frankie takes life less seriously – he’s been judged all his life, but what he lacks in luck, he makes up for in community. Despite their differences, the group’s shared tenacity fosters a unique sense of identity, courage and belonging as they are each drawn back to the restaurant over a number of years.
Inspired by the true stories of three older British-Jamaican citizens, Soon Come is a love-letter to British-Jamaican culture. Torn between the cultures of their heritage and residence, three main characters working in a Jamaican restaurant desperately seek a sense of home in a nation that has wronged them and muddied their perception of self.
Reviews
Kuba’s writing has always been extremely engaging to me, yet I must admit that I was blown away by the richness of the characters and their world. The journey that the story prepares the reader for, drips with nostalgia and hope. A captivating work of art by one of Britain’s most imaginative minds.
- Kelechi Okafor, actor, director, author of Edge of Here
Kuba Shand-Baptiste has written a transporting and lyrical work that beautifully tells the often-erased stories of Black Britain's past and near-present. Heartfelt and deeply affecting, it's impossible not to fall for these nuanced, fully realised characters that will stick with you long after you've left the page. A triumph!
- Yomi Adegoke, author of Slay In Your Lane
In Soon Come Kuba Shand-Baptiste has delivered a deliciously well-written alluring yet important book that will add richly to Britain’s literary landscape. It’s a winner.
- Nelson Abbey
Kuba Shand-baptiste’s brand new book combine(s) my favourite things: art and carribean food, with beautiful nuanced detailed characters that I could have spent a lifetime with…when I finished I wanted more.
- Nathan Bryon; screenwriter of Rye Lane