Foreign Fruit

By Katie Goh

WINNER OF SCOTLAND’S NATIONAL BOOK AWARDS FOR DEBUT NON-FICTION
LONGLISTED FOR THE JHALAK PRIZE 2026
A DEBUTIFUL BEST NON-FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR

The orange is a souvenir of history. Across time, it has been a harbinger of God and doom, fortune and failure, pleasure and suffering. It is a fruit containing metaphors, dreams, mythologies, superstitions, parables and histories within its tough rind. So, what happens when the fruit is peeled and each segment – each moment of history, each meaning in time – is pulled apart?

In this distinct, subversive and intimate hybrid memoir, Katie Goh explores the orange as a means of understanding the world, and herself within it. What she reveals is violence, colonialism, resilience, survival, adaptation – and unexpected beauty and sweetness against all odds.

Reviews of Foreign Fruit

'Superbly reflective, restive and revealing . . . Goh is a bold new voice in Irish writing. . . Foreign Fruit is a stunning, stylish search for origins reminiscent of books like Saidiya Hartman's Lose Your Mother, and the work of queer writers like James Baldwin' – Irish Times

'Beautiful, visceral and powerful writing that speaks from the heart and to the heart. I could feel every word. A raw and fascinating book' – Angela Hui author of Takeaway

'A deeply thoughtful, funny and moving treatise on identity and the myriad factors that go into influencing it. A sharp and exhilarating read from start to finish. You will never look at oranges in your fruit bowl the same way again' – Big Issue

'With elegance and sharpness, Foreign Fruit intertwines the historical and personal to give a thoughtful, poetic and clear-sighted meditation on roots, migration and connectedness that will make you question how stories – ours and the world's – are shaped' – Cecile Pin author of Wandering Souls

'A sharp-sweet memoir of change, identity and hybridity. I loved it' – Katherine May, author of Wintering and Enchantment

'Weaving together social, economic and political history, this is a thoroughly enjoyable and intellectually stimulating book' – Scotsman

'By tracing the history of the orange, which first was grown in China, Katie Goh also explores her own origins. An emotionally honest memoir that embraces colonialism, migration, capitalism and much else' – Herald

'Goh's writing is careful and sharp. Foreign Fruit is a bold work which dissects topical issues from a thoughtful and personal space' – The Skinny

'In smart, engrossing prose, Goh teaches us as much about the fruits as about ourselves. A brilliant history of the orange that, like citrus, defies classification' – Starred Review, Kirkus

'Like the fruit at its centre, Foreign Fruit is both sweet and sharp. In Goh's skilled hands, the orange becomes a powerful symbol to explore centuries of migration and memory. This book is a masterful blend of social history and memoir. I savoured every page of Goh's prose' – Freya Bromley author of The Tidal Year