Join the Bondi Literary Salon for our July book club, hosted by Maree Webster! In our gathering, we will be discussing the new novel from Terry Hayes, The Year of the Locust as well as his best-selling debut I Am Pilgrim.

WHEN: Wednesday, 24th July, 2024, at Gertrude & Alice Cafe Bookstore, please arrive at 6.45pm for a prompt 7pm start.

TICKETS: Admission; $25.00 (excluding external fees). Your ticket includes a drink on arrival and nibbles during the evening.

THE LONG AWAITED NEW NOVEL FROM TERRY HAYES, AUTHOR OF I AM PILGRIM.

This Terry Hayes Book Club will discuss both the author's novels, it is not necessary to have read them both in order to attend. Everyone is welcome!

About The Year of the Locust

If, like Kane, you're a Denied Access Area spy for the CIA, then boundaries have no meaning. Your function is to go in, do whatever is required, and get out again - by whatever means necessary. You know when to run, when to hide - and when to shoot.

But some places don't play by the rules. Some places are too dangerous, even for a man of Kane's experience. The badlands where the borders of Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan meet are such a place - a place where violence is the only way to survive.

Kane travels there to exfiltrate a man with vital information for the safety of the West - but instead he meets an adversary who will take the world to the brink of extinction. A frightening, clever, vicious man with blood on his hands and vengeance in his heart...

About I Am Pilgrim

The Day of the Jackal meets Homeland with a dash of Bourne - the ground-breaking, internationally bestselling thriller that captivated millions of readers worldwide.

'A big, breathless tale of nonstop suspense' The New York Times
'Simply one of the best suspense novels I've read in a long time' David Baldacci
'An all too plausible disaster for the world we live in. Great nail-biting stuff' Robert Goddard
'The plot twists and turns like a python in a sack... Visceral, gritty and cinematic' The Times

About the Author

Terry Hayes is a former journalist and screen-writer. Born in Sussex, England, he migrated to Australia as a child and trained as a journalist at the country’s leading broadsheet. At twenty-one he was appointed North American correspondent, based in New York, and after two years returned to Sydney to become an investigative reporter, political correspondent and columnist.

He resigned to produce a prominent current affairs radio program and a short time later, with George Miller, wrote the screenplay for Road Warrior/Mad Max 2. He also co-produced and wrote Dead Calm, the film which launched Nicole Kidman’s international movie career, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome and a large number of TV movies and mini-series – including Bodyline and Bangkok Hilton – two of which received international Emmy nominations. In all, he has won over twenty film or television awards.

After moving to Los Angeles he worked as a screen-writer on major studio productions. His credits include Payback with Mel Gibson, From Hell, starring Johnny Depp, and Vertical Limit with Chris O’Donnell. He has also done un-credited writing on a host of other movies including Reign of Fire, Cliffhanger and Flightplan, starring Jodie Foster.

The Year of the Locust is Terry Hayes' second novel. His first, I Am Pilgrim was an international bestseller. He and his American wife – Kristen – have four children and live in Switzerland.

About the Host

Maree is a Gemini ruled by Mercury, the planet of communication, and maintains a diverse reading list for her dual imaginative and analytical nature. Her favourite fiction books are The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver and The Orphan Master’s Son by Adam Johnson. Her home is in Paddington but she really lives in Bondi - a great day starts with yoga at Rare followed by chai at Gertrude and Alice. She loves the Bondi Literary Salon Book Club for how well read, articulate and inclusive the group is.

About The Bondi Literary Salon

Bondi Literary Salon was established in 2018, it is the in-house book club of beloved Bondi institution, Gertrude & Alice. The Bondi Literary Salon endeavours to explore the vast world of literature each month, with a selection that reflects a focus on diverse writers and stories; delving into both classic and contemporary fiction, as well as non-fiction.

Our philosophy has always been to use language and literature not only as a tool for connection and community, but as an insight into worlds we have not had the pleasure of visiting ourselves. We welcome all - young and old, those with a life-long love of literature, or whose relationship may be only beginning. Join us in the unmatched comfort of an after-hours bookstore, accompanied by wine and cheese, for an evening spent discussing books and building community.

About Gertrude & Alice Cafe Bookstore

Rated as one of the top 10 bookstores in the world by National Geographic, Gertrude & Alice Cafe Bookstore is an oasis for writers, readers, and coffee lovers. Books overflow from the shelves of their store, featuring a mix of new, second-hand, antiquarian and rare books. Stay a while & enjoy some home made chai, and amazing coffee, and unearth a book treasure or two. Read more about the bookstore's story here, and about the real Gertrude & Alice here.