Minor Black Figures

Hardback Published on: 19/03/2026
Price: £18.99
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From the author of Booker-Prize shortlisted, Foyles Book of the Year-winning Real Life comes a captivating new novel about a gay Black painter navigating the worlds of art, desire, and creativity. Taylor's writing is always deeply affecting and profound, but Minor Black Figures adds even more depth to his writing, in what is a poignant state-of-the-nation novel/masterpiece.

Synopsis

Over a hot summer in New York a painter falls for a priest, in this captivating modern love story from the Booker-Prize shortlisted Brandon Taylor.

Wyeth is a newcomer to New York, a young Black painter who is trying to find his place in the contemporary Manhattan art scene. He shares a studio with his friends and earns money working for a gallery and an art restorer but he’s struggling with his portrait painting, unable to truly capture the life of his subjects.

Then he meets Keating, a white former priest struggling with his faith. The two men seemingly have nothing in common, and yet Keating shows Wyeth how to see the world anew. The hot summer progresses, filled with art openings, walks around the city, and Wyeth’s search for a long-forgotten Black artist. But as the men grow closer, the differences between them become more stark, until Wyeth and Keating must decide what they are willing to risk – for art and for love.

A page-turning New York novel and a sweeping modern romance, Minor Black Figures is an involving and tender portrait of loneliness and connection.

Publisher information

  • Publisher: Vintage Publishing
  • ISBN: 9781787336421
  • Number of pages: 400
  • Dimensions: 240 x 164 x 38 mm
  • Weight: 616g
  • Languages: English

Customer Reviews

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Minor Black Figures
A Study in Ambition and Perception
Minor Black Figures by Brandon Taylor is a controlled, incisive novel about ambition, art, and the quiet violences of perception. Taylor’s prose is precise... READ MORE
Nemra
Minor Black Figures
Art and life ….
In this beautifully written slow-moving novel shows us a young artist’s self-doubts about art and his longing for desire and belonging. Taylor is an int... READ MORE
Emine at Bromley
Minor Black Figures
A novel that needs a return visit to absorb the minutiae of detail - a story about connection
Minor Black Figures is a beautiful read- an exploration of a love story/ developing relationship over a period of a few months. It is the story of Wyet... READ MORE
Stephen - The Bookworm
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Minor Black Figures
Less theory, more connection
At some point in this book, someone describes an art show as containing works accessible only to a small coterie of Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn. You ha... READ MORE
Eleanor Franzen
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Minor Black Figures
Wonderfully written
If you are looking for a book to immerse yourself in, to languish in wonderful writing, to think, reflect and enjoy the intellectual exploration of absorbi... READ MORE
Claire Randolph
Minor Black Figures
Well-written and thought-provoking
‘Minor Black Figures’ is a slow-paced and quiet book, with fantastic depth and amazing writing. Although, on a plot level, nothing much happens, on a chara... READ MORE
BB
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Minor Black Figures
A fabulous novel
Brandon Taylor's latest novel, Minor Black Figures, is a masterpiece. It enchanted me, thrilled me and moved me from it's opening sentence and didn't let... READ MORE
Ben Dutton
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.