Bellies

Discover the beautiful coming-of-age story about falling in-and-out of love, brimming with humour and heartbreak.



It begins as your typical boy meets boy.

Tom and Ming meet on a night out at university and fall hard for each other. It’s not long before they are planning a future and building a life.

Then Ming announces her intention to transition.

As Tom and Ming both face shifts in their relationship and confront the vastly different shapes their lives have taken, they must both ask if it is worth losing a part of themselves – or each other – to become the people they want to be.

Review

At its best, Bellies is as deep as it is chic -- Jeremy Atherton Lin ― Guardian

The most hotly anticipated novel of the summer ― Harper's Bazaar

A tender, emotional exploration of gender and sexual identity ― Marie Claire

Beautiful depiction of derailed love ― Chris Power, Sunday Times

A poignant tale that explores the messy complexities of relationships, with recognisably imperfect characters at its core ― Sunday Times Style

Dizzyingly beautiful ― Grazia

A vividly drawn cast of supporting characters enhances this absorbing and carefully balanced novel - narrated from both Tom and Ming's perspectives - which manages to be both deeply touching and wickedly witty. ― Daily Mail

Dinan's gift as a writer is her ability to make us feel - when her characters cry, we cry; when they laugh, we laugh; and everybody is changed by the end of this novel, including the reader. A beautiful love story and an exceptional debut. ― Irish Times

This begins as a boy-meets-boy love story, but when the couple leaves university to go to London, one goes through the process of transitioning and the story is about what happens to their relationship from that. It's a really beautiful, underrepresented love story in fiction. ― i, Debuts To Keep An Eye On In 2023

A novel overspilling with care and affection for its characters.... The hype for her book is high ― i-D magazine

About the Author

Nicola Dinan grew up in Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur and now lives in London. She studied Natural Sciences at Cambridge University before training as a lawyer. Bellies, her debut, was shortlisted for the Mo Siewcharran prize.