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Animal Nightlife
Published July 9th 2026
Available for pre-order
A rapturous, kaleidoscopic portrait of contemporary Britain and the myriad immigrant experiences that informed it, from the 1950s to a present-day landscape of racism, class division and economic decay, told through the voices of othered outsiders who just happen to be half-human, half-avian...
Vikram, Ravi and Sean, childhood friends from south London, seem to be the only ones who have noticed that they have wings. As adults and ‘multiples’ – their hybrid human/animal forms – they are all now dealing with the personal and political fallout of what is turning out to be an unexpectedly turbulent present in which ‘singulars’ – narrow-minded, non-syncretic - are the ones making the weather.
It feels like a dangerous time for anyone deemed an outsider. Human society has rarely been this reckless or rapacious, and the fragile ecosystem holding together all the unlikely alliances of ‘animal nightlife’ has been placed in mortal danger. Consumerism, greed, violence, and prejudice of every kind are ranged against the brave souls taking a stand by lining the telegraph wires as a final showdown draws ever closer.
Winner: second prize, 2023 Novel London competition.
'Prose as languid as Shangri-La and as defiant as raisins in the flour... a strange, wonderful novel.'
Andy Polaris, lead singer of Animal Nightlife
'An immigrant story, a London story, a dub story, a club culture story, a hyper-consumption story, a story of exquisite taste; a fabulous fable that remixes what we think about the cultures we carry, and makes it box fresh.'
Rishi Dastidar, author of Cherry Blossom at Nightbreak
‘Glittering, visceral and lavishly inventive, Animal Nightlife explores racism, class tensions and economic decay in Britain through a fresh lens. Koushik Banerjea writes with linguistic zing – and a furious, luminous intelligence.’
Nicolas Padamsee, author of This is England
‘A powerful, genre-bending novel that fuses magical realism with sharp social commentary, exploring the tensions of identity, immigration, race, class and belonging in modern urban Britain.’
Ruvani Ranasinha, author of Hanif Kureishi, Writing the Self
‘A metastable marvel. Neither realism, nor allegory, fantasy, fable – but a genuine syncretism, of a kind once managed by the ancient heretics. Let there be more novels of this kind – if anyone’s up to it!’
Michael Nath, author of The Treatment
‘Banerjea has taken raw material ordinarily fraught with difficulty and trite expectation, and transformed it into a work that is strange, bewildering, at times exhilarating, but most of all: highly original. A rare and commendable achievement.’
Udith Dematagoda, author of Horizontal Rain
‘An intricately crafted and multilayered read.'
Keith Piper, British artist, curator, critic and a founder member of the groundbreaking BLK Art Group.
‘This is a story about the life found floating in the gutters but always with an eye on the stars. Animal Nightlife is a real Atomic Dog of a book.’
Dhanveer Singh Brar, writer and academic, author of Teklife, Ghettoville, Eski: The Sonic Ecologies of Black Music in the Early 21st Century
‘Koushik Banerjea has a unique mastery of prose and plot.'
Alan Edward Roberts, author of Gentle November
‘An exhilarating read. Fizzing with surreal flights, multilingual wit, off-piste erudition, and wild back beats, Animal Nightlife is a scorching celebration of Britain’s numinous multiplicity. Reform voters would have a nervous fit reading it.’
Pete Kalu, author of Act Normal: Joy and despair in Postcolonial Britain
‘With distant echoes of Jarmusch and Vonnegut, Animal Nightlife is a ride where you should simply belt up, roll down the window and take in the unfolding landscape. As we prepare for the soundclash of our lives, this story imparts a much-needed militancy and optimism.’
Dhangsha (Bengali for ‘destruction’), is the alias of sound artist and educator Aniruddha Das. He works at the interface of bass culture and experimental noise.
B-format flapped paperback
ISBN 978-1-9191847-2-2
Published July 9th 2026
Available for pre-order
A rapturous, kaleidoscopic portrait of contemporary Britain and the myriad immigrant experiences that informed it, from the 1950s to a present-day landscape of racism, class division and economic decay, told through the voices of othered outsiders who just happen to be half-human, half-avian...
Vikram, Ravi and Sean, childhood friends from south London, seem to be the only ones who have noticed that they have wings. As adults and ‘multiples’ – their hybrid human/animal forms – they are all now dealing with the personal and political fallout of what is turning out to be an unexpectedly turbulent present in which ‘singulars’ – narrow-minded, non-syncretic - are the ones making the weather.
It feels like a dangerous time for anyone deemed an outsider. Human society has rarely been this reckless or rapacious, and the fragile ecosystem holding together all the unlikely alliances of ‘animal nightlife’ has been placed in mortal danger. Consumerism, greed, violence, and prejudice of every kind are ranged against the brave souls taking a stand by lining the telegraph wires as a final showdown draws ever closer.
Winner: second prize, 2023 Novel London competition.
'Prose as languid as Shangri-La and as defiant as raisins in the flour... a strange, wonderful novel.'
Andy Polaris, lead singer of Animal Nightlife
'An immigrant story, a London story, a dub story, a club culture story, a hyper-consumption story, a story of exquisite taste; a fabulous fable that remixes what we think about the cultures we carry, and makes it box fresh.'
Rishi Dastidar, author of Cherry Blossom at Nightbreak
‘Glittering, visceral and lavishly inventive, Animal Nightlife explores racism, class tensions and economic decay in Britain through a fresh lens. Koushik Banerjea writes with linguistic zing – and a furious, luminous intelligence.’
Nicolas Padamsee, author of This is England
‘A powerful, genre-bending novel that fuses magical realism with sharp social commentary, exploring the tensions of identity, immigration, race, class and belonging in modern urban Britain.’
Ruvani Ranasinha, author of Hanif Kureishi, Writing the Self
‘A metastable marvel. Neither realism, nor allegory, fantasy, fable – but a genuine syncretism, of a kind once managed by the ancient heretics. Let there be more novels of this kind – if anyone’s up to it!’
Michael Nath, author of The Treatment
‘Banerjea has taken raw material ordinarily fraught with difficulty and trite expectation, and transformed it into a work that is strange, bewildering, at times exhilarating, but most of all: highly original. A rare and commendable achievement.’
Udith Dematagoda, author of Horizontal Rain
‘An intricately crafted and multilayered read.'
Keith Piper, British artist, curator, critic and a founder member of the groundbreaking BLK Art Group.
‘This is a story about the life found floating in the gutters but always with an eye on the stars. Animal Nightlife is a real Atomic Dog of a book.’
Dhanveer Singh Brar, writer and academic, author of Teklife, Ghettoville, Eski: The Sonic Ecologies of Black Music in the Early 21st Century
‘Koushik Banerjea has a unique mastery of prose and plot.'
Alan Edward Roberts, author of Gentle November
‘An exhilarating read. Fizzing with surreal flights, multilingual wit, off-piste erudition, and wild back beats, Animal Nightlife is a scorching celebration of Britain’s numinous multiplicity. Reform voters would have a nervous fit reading it.’
Pete Kalu, author of Act Normal: Joy and despair in Postcolonial Britain
‘With distant echoes of Jarmusch and Vonnegut, Animal Nightlife is a ride where you should simply belt up, roll down the window and take in the unfolding landscape. As we prepare for the soundclash of our lives, this story imparts a much-needed militancy and optimism.’
Dhangsha (Bengali for ‘destruction’), is the alias of sound artist and educator Aniruddha Das. He works at the interface of bass culture and experimental noise.
B-format flapped paperback
ISBN 978-1-9191847-2-2