Longlisted for the 2026 Women's Prize for Fiction
Gloria has a learning disability. She’s nineteen, and there’s nothing to do except wander the local parks, look for friendship and keep out of trouble - or go round Jack’s. Jack needs Gloria’s company, but he’s unpredictable and angry at the world.
After an act of violence, their friendship has to end. Now Gloria’s on her own.
But when she hears Jack’s out of prison, her whole world is turned upside-down.
Heartbreaking and beautiful, Gloria Don’t Speak is a deeply empathetic portrait of a woman dealing with vulnerability, violence - and the desire for connection.