Description
Give the gift of the Backstory Fiction book club!
Choose between 3, 6, or 12 months and buy someone membership to our fiction book club, which meets monthly on Zoom. We'll post you a voucher to give them. Perfect for Christmas.
About the book club:
Each month, we read a different novel. A paperback copy of the book will be sent out about a month in advance, giving you plenty of time to read it.
Then we will all join the author on Zoom to discuss the book. It's a bit like any other book club, with the added advantage of quizzing the author herself.
So far we've been joined by Caleb Azumah Neslon, Rachel Yoder, Julia Armfield, and Rebecca Wait. See below for our upcoming line-up.
UPCOMING MEETINGS
We will meet monthly, usually on Tuesday evenings (UK time). More events will be added soon.
A servant girl escapes from a settlement. She carries nothing with her but her wits, a few possessions, and the spark of god that burns hot within her. What she finds is beyond the limits of her imagination and will bend her belief of everything that her own civilization has taught her.
The Vaster Wilds is a work of raw and prophetic power that tells the story of America in miniature, through one girl at a hinge point in history, to ask how -and if - we can adapt quickly enough to save ourselves.
JANUARY - Colin Walsh, Kala
Tuesday 14th January, 8pm UK time
Helen, Joe and Mush were part of an original group of six inseparable teenagers in the summer of 2003, with motherless, reckless Kala Lanann as their group's white-hot centre.
Soon after that summer's peak, Kala disappeared without a trace. Now it's fifteen years later. Human remains have been discovered in the woods.
Two more girls have gone missing. As past and present begin to collide, can the estranged friends figure out what led to Kala's disappearance... and stop history repeating itself?
FEBRUARY - Tom Rachman, The Imposters
11th February, 8pm
Set during a crisis in democracy, a society in lockdown linked digitally but convulsed by a social media frenzy, and is told by a little-known, little-read Dutch novelist named Dora Frenhofer who has decided that her life as an old woman in this post-truth pandemic world has become too much. But like a twenty-first century Scheherazade Dora spins stories to fend off the evil day, conjuring connections from her past to give meaning to the present.
MARCH - Elizabeth Acevedo, Family Lore
11th March, 8pm
Flor has a gift: she can predict, to the day, when someone will die. So when she decides to throw her own living wake, her sisters are concerned. What has she foreseen?Planning the celebration brings further complications for the Marte family, because Flor isn't the only person with secrets: her sisters are hiding things, too.
Family Lore traces the intertwining stories of five women: sisters and cousins, mothers and daughters, aunts and nieces, to ask the ultimate question - what does it take to live a good life, for yourself and those you love?
APRIL - Lottie Hazell, Piglet
8th April, 8pm
Her life is so full, so why is she hungry? For Piglet – an unshakable childhood nickname – getting married is her opportunity to reinvent. Together, Kit and Piglet are the picture of domestic bliss – effortless hosts, planning a covetable wedding...
But if a life looks too good to be true, it probably is. Thirteen days before they are due to be married, Kit reveals an awful truth, cracking the façade Piglet has created. It has the power to strip her of the life she has so carefully built, so smugly shared.
To do something about it would be to self-destruct. But what will it cost her to do nothing? As the hours count down to their wedding, Piglet is torn between a growing appetite and the desire to follow the recipe, follow the rules. Surely, with her husband, she could be herself again.
THE FORMAT
We meet for a 60-minute Zoom each month, with roughly:
- 20 minutes discussing the book in small breakout groups, to replicate the feel of a traditional book group
- 20 minutes author interview by a member of the Backstory team
- 20 minutes Q&A with the author
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Why can't I see the Zoom link in my email inbox?
Our emails to Hotmail, Microsoft and Btinternet accounts are often sent to 'junk' or 'spam' folders. We are working on a fix. In the meantime, please use an alternative email if you have one. If not, please check your junk folder!
What does the price include?
A paperback copy of the book and attendance at the book club event with the author of the book.
How much is delivery?
Local members can pick up the book for free each month from our shop in Balham. Just choose the 'pick up' option.
UK delivery is free, EU delivery is £6.95 a month and rest-of-world delivery is £9.95 a month.
When will I get my book?
Books are normally sent out about four weeks in advance of each meeting. If you subscribe closer to the meeting, your book will be sent out ASAP.
What if I just want to come to one meeting?
You can! Just choose the option for that meeting only, rather than buying a subscription. You can only make one-off purchases for the next meeting, so if you want to come to a future meeting, check back a month beforehand to book.
How long does my subscription last?
You can cancel anytime. Books are sent out a month in advance of the meeting; we cannot cancel a book that is already on its way, but will stop any subsequent books.
What if I've already got the book?
If you wouldn't like a second copy yourself, please feel free to give it to a friend or family member, or donate it to charity. Whatever you choose, you are still welcome to come to the discussion, of course. Unfortunately, it isn't possible to cancel individual copies as the administration would get far too complicated! We hope you understand.
What if I'm already a member of the non-fiction book club?
We are giving non-fiction book club members the option to join any one-off fiction book club session for just £5 (without the book) or for the price of the book (if you would like a copy). Just email us your request at books@backstory.london
The same arrangement applies for our fiction book club members looking to join one-off sessions of the non-fiction club.
I have another question
Please feel free to email books@backstory.london