Hot Stew

FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE BOOKER PRIZE FINALIST ELMET
In the middle of the bustle of London's Soho, among the theaters and sex shops and pubs, sits a building. It isn’t particularly assuming. But it’s a prime piece of real estate, and a young millionaire, Agatha Howard, wants to convert it into luxury condos as soon as she can kick out all the tenants.
The problem is, the building in question houses a brothel, and Precious and Tabitha, two of the women who live and work there, are not going to go quietly. And another problem is, just where did Agatha’s fortune come from? The fight over this piece of property also draws in the men who visit, including Robert, a one-time member of a far-right group and enforcer for Agatha’s father; Jackie, a policewoman intent on making London a safer place for all women; Bastian, a rich and dissatisfied party boy who pines for an ex-girlfriend; and a collection of vagabonds and strays who occupy the basement. In this much-anticipated follow-up to Fiona Mozley's brilliant debut, Elmet, as these characters—with surprising hidden connections and shadowy pasts—converge, the fight over the property boils over into a hot stew.
Entertaining, sharply funny, and dazzlingly accomplished, Hot Stew confronts questions about wealth and inheritance, gender and power, and the things women must do to survive in an unjust world.

This discussion guide and book of the month is shared and sponsored in partnership with Algonquin.

Book club questions for Hot Stew by Fiona Mozley

Use these discussion questions to guide your next book club meeting.

The novel begins from the perspective of a snail. Although set in an urban environment, there are lots of mentions of flora and fauna, from flowers and trees to birds, insects, and dogs. Why do you think the author chose to include these elements? What do they represent? How do they fit into the wider themes of the novel? What other animals and plants are in the book?

The novel references several other art forms, such as photography. What is the effect of the scene with Precious, Tabitha, and Mona Beardsley? What do you think the author is trying to say about art, creativity, and modes of representation?

Elaborating on this question, how does the character Lorenzo fit into this wider theme? He is a struggling actor who gets a job on a successful show. He doesn’t like the show and is uncomfortable with some of the scenes he is required to perform, but he needs the job. Does he make the right choice?

Bastian finds himself caught between two paths and two different women—Rebecca and Laura. What was your view of these women and their relationships with Bastian? Does Bastian treat these women well? Does he make the right choice? Do you think his relationship with Laura will work better than his relationship with Rebecca?

Did you find Robert to be a sympathetic or unsympathetic character? Lorenzo has known him since childhood but finds it difficult to reconcile himself to certain revelations. What are the limits of Lorenzo’s forgiveness? How did you feel about Robert in the end?

Agatha Howard has a fragile grip on her father’s inheritance. Her wealth is threatened by those around her, including her own half sisters. How do you think this sense of financial and social unease affects her actions and interpersonal relationships?

There is a surreal aspect to the novel. This is especially true of the characters in the basement—the Archbishop and Cheryl Lavery (aka Debbie McGee). What effect did these characters and these surreal interludes have on you as a reader?

There are some police officers in Hot Stew. Some are named characters and some are unnamed. How does this novel present the police and their role in gentrification? Are they really motivated by “the safety of women”? How is this idea used by the police?

There are sex workers in this novel, but we don’t see them having sex. Why do you think the author chose to present other aspects of their lives? How have you seen sex work presented in other books, films, or TV shows?

Do you think prostitution or other forms of sex work should be decriminalized?

At the end of the novel, London is described as a giant beast. Did you find this to be an accurate depiction of a teeming city? What other books set in London have you read, and how have these informed your view of it? Have you read any other books that you would recommend where the city setting was a character as well?

Hot Stew Book Club Questions PDF

Click here for a printable PDF of the Hot Stew discussion questions

“Stunningly clever . . . Mozley’s vision of London, simultaneously ancient and deeply modern, is layered with mystery and packed with humanity.”

—Mary Sollosi, Entertainment Weekly

“Thrilling . . . [Hot Stew] is so precise and granular in its evocation of London that it made me thoroughly homesick while reading it. And Mozley is very good on the degree to which circumstance shapes interior life.”

—Emma Brockes, The New York Times Book Review

“With masterful prose, through over a half-dozen point-of-view characters, [Mozley] tells a story about money and power, love and art, sex work and gentrification – and those are just some of the proteins in this complex stew . . . Mozley writes convincingly about class and gender dynamics . . . Enjoyable and impressive on every page.”

—Steph Cha, USA Today

“Mozely returns with her sophomore effort in Hot Stew, a sprawling, ambitious work of social realism about Londoners whose messy lives converge in the city's storied neighborhood of Soho.”

—Adrienne Westenfeld, Esquire

“Hot Stew is expansive and ribald . . . It’s ambitious, clever, brilliant and very funny. If Elmet announced the arrival of a bright new voice in British literature, Hot Stew confirms Mozley as a writer of extraordinary empathic gifts.”
—Alex Preston, The Observer (UK)