Bellies: ‘A beautiful love story’ Irish Times

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Firstly, Ming’s transition is bankrolled. She saves money because she and Tom move into Tom’s parents’ house in London after graduation. She also has an inheritance, as well as a well-off dad. She flies over the hurdles many trans people face: she has enough money for surgical intervention, and doesn’t have to bother with inhumanely long waiting times for HRT on the NHS. As a writer, it was refreshing to write queer experiences not mired by structural hurdles, choosing instead to focus on relationship dynamics existing outside of those challenges. I wanted to show that even when you’re holding a royal flush, big changes are hard to make, and new lives are hard to adjust to. In doing so, I think Bellies makes an experience as specific as transitioning feel a little bit more universal. On the other hand, those systemic barriers are the cruel reality for most trans people today. It’s a long list, so I’ll just share a few. David Sedaris was a bit of a revelation when I read him as a teenager – not just because of how funny and beautifully crafted his essays were, but because of the way he wrote about his relationship. I tried to bring the combination of petty arguments, shared experiences and simple but sincere acts of love to my fictional relationships. And then there’s Norah Ephron, whose novels, essays and screenplays seem to be written off the cuff, but are in fact beautifully detailed and precise.

Filled with warmth and heart, Bellies is a tender, beautiful and heartbreaking exploration of identity, growing up, and love in all its glorious forms. I can't wait to see what Nicola Dinan does next. Cecile Pin, author of Wandering SoulsConfident and witty, a charming young playwright, Ming is the perfect antidote to Tom's awkward energy, and their connection is instant. Tom finds himself deeply and desperately drawn into Ming's orbit, and on the cusp of graduation, he's already mapped out their future together. It's those moments where you just feel so incapable of doing the things that everyone says are supposed to be super normal for someone your age. It's destabilising, but I also think everyone should have these wobbles where they feel that way. I really fell in love with the characters of Ming and Tom. It has heartbreaking parts but ones that make you smile with joy too. I hope we hear more from Nicola Dinan in the future.

Bellies by Nicola Dinan is a beautifully bittersweet depiction of the seismic changes of early adulthood with unforgettably funny, spiky, believable main characters. Leon Craig, author of Parallel Hells With this being your first novel, did you have an audience in mind when writing it, or were you writing for yourself? Reflecting the nuances and realities of real love is what I was trying to achieve in my own novel, and I admire her ability to capture a single moment and make it so electric and alive. She's a very, very talented writer Liv Little, author of Rosewater The synopsis says: “It begins as your typical boy meets boy. At a drag night in a university town, Tom meets Ming. Ming is what Tom wants and wants to be: a promising young playwright; confident and witty and a perfect antidote to Tom’s awkward energy. They fall hard for each other, but when Ming announces her decision to transition, the pair must confront that love may not be enough.Bellies follow the interweaving lives of Tom and Ming as they each struggle with belonging and identity. We watch them through an unbiased lens and come to know them as if they were our friends too. Set firmly in a landscape I know so well, and with central and side characters who are so dynamic, Bellies truly feels like a story I lived through. What’s more telling of an impactful story than when you close the book but the characters live on? In both tales, women use their sexual currency to obtain financial capital, in some way subverting the misogyny they face. However, Ferrante in particular suggests these transactions slowly rot one’s spirit. Perhaps Isa and Gala, Lenu and Lila bond over the secret knowledge that while these exchanges feel wrong, there are few better options for making ends meet. And as the novels develop, the friends give each other the courage to resist social expectations, to rebel. First of all, I just wanted to talk a bit about how things are going for you. I know you’re already adapting Bellies into a screenplay and are at a third draft stage with your second novel, Disappoint Me. It must be a bit of a whirlwind, what has all of this been like for you? Over Zoom, AnOther spoke to Dinan about transition stories, writing Malaysian food, and what’s in her Bellies playlist. With Bellies Nicola Dinan has written an intimate odyssey - full of warmth and humour... Offering a story about connection, loneliness, identity, and the many different forms that family can take. Thoughtful, seductive, and entirely engrossing - Bellies is already a classic. Bryan Washington, author of Lot and Memorial

I haven't felt so seen by a book in a long time. Neither have I cried like that at one. Bellies broke me apart in the best way possible. Dinan is a huge talent and I'll read everything she writes. Annie Lord, Vogue columnist and author of Notes on HeartbreakA beautiful book. Thoroughly enjoyed it even if it did make me cry several times (I'm very emotional).