Book Review: Hot Stew by Fiona Mozley

Does a book called “Hot Stew” all about a crowded neighborhood kind of give you the willies? Normally I’d say ‘me too’, but because I’ve spent the last two years avoiding people, Hot Stew by Fiona Mozley sounded like something I wanted to dive into immediately. It’s set in the present day (sans Covid) in the teeming neighborhood of Soho, London, and features a varied cast of characters, all connected via a collapsing townhouse on the verge of being sold. Gentrification, class, the gender divide, complicated inheritances, and power struggles are all found within these pages. Mozley does a superb job of keeping the reader centered within the chaos, and I never felt confused or scattered amidst all the action. Highly recommend this one!