The List

DEBUT Michael and Ola are a young, beautiful Black power couple in London; Michael is a successful podcaster, and Ola is a journalist in charge of the current affairs desk at Womxxxn. They’re getting married in 30 days—or are they? Just as the wedding countdown begins, “the List” appears on social media sites, accusing several men of harassing women, and Michael is among them; it’s also alleged that someone has a restraining order against him. He declares that he is not guilty, but when placing his treatment of a particular female friend under scrutiny, he admits that he did not act in the best possible way. In the end, the fallout from the List turns out to go beyond Michael’s transgressions and the issues of a single couple. Throughout the novel, Michael and Ola are portrayed as very real people, caught up in a storm of lies, jealousies, and betrayal that many readers will understand.