Soon Come

By: Kuba Shand-Baptiste

Narrated by: Job Pedro Angus, Sasha Frost

'Will stick with you long after you've left the page. A triumph!' Yomi Adegoke, author of THE LIST
'Combined my favourite things, art and Caribbean food, with beautiful, nuanced characters that I could have spent a lifetime with.' Nathan Bryon, screenwriter of RYE LANE

In one tiny Caribbean restaurant, three friends try to build a future in a country that refuses to see them.

Judith came to Britain believing that hard work and respectability would keep her safe. Now a nurse, she keeps her head down and sends money home, quietly hoping her sacrifices will mean something.

Mikey is angry, restless and unafraid to speak truth to power - whether through protest or paint.

And Frank? Frank's just trying to find joy wherever he can, even if everything around him is falling apart.

Their worlds collide in a small Caribbean restaurant in North West London, where the smell of Scotch bonnet drifts out the windows and life-altering decisions are made between shifts and shared meals.

Across the decades, as new generations find their way in a city that changes around them, what remains is community, memory and the pulse of something unbreakable.

Soon Come is a rich, moving debut about migration, friendship and the spaces we create when the world gives us none. Inspired by true stories, this is a celebration of the everyday defiance and quiet dreams of London's Caribbean community - and what it means to belong.

'A captivating work of art by one of Britain's most imaginative minds.' Kelechi Okafor, author of EDGE OF HERE
'The reader is in safe hands with this writer . . . She is a humanist storyteller, an authoritative author.' Hugh Quarshie©2025 Kuba Shand-Baptiste

Critic reviews

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 THE LIST)

Combined my favourite things, art and Caribbean food, with beautiful, nuanced characters that I could have spent a lifetime with. (Nathan Bryon, screenwriter of RYE LANE)

I was blown away by the richness of the characters and their world . . . A captivating work of art by one of Britain's most imaginative minds. (Kelechi Okafor, author of EDGE OF HERE)

The reader is in safe hands with Kuba Shand-Baptiste . . . She is a humanist storyteller, an authoritative author. (Hugh Quarshie)

Sparkling . . . A lyrical mediation on migration, friendship and the spaces we create when the world gives us none. A beautiful celebration of the everyday defiance and quiet dreams of London's Caribbean community, and what it means to belong. ('The Best New Books of September')

In beautifully written prose and inspired by her own upbringing and background, Shand-Baptiste's debut novel explores the culture, history and experience of the Caribbean through relationships forged in a tiny West London restaurant. (Sirena Bergman)