Join the Bondi Literary Salon for an October book club, hosted by Lucy Pearson! In our gathering, we will be discussing the 2024 Women's Prize for Fiction Winner Brotherless Night, by V. V. Ganeshananthan.

WHEN: Tuesday, 8th October, 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.

WINNER OF THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION: A searing, gripping novel about a young Tamil woman living through the Sri Lankan civil war

About Brotherless Night

Sixteen-year-old Sashi wants to become a doctor. But over the next decade, as a vicious civil war subsumes Sri Lanka, her dream takes her on a different path as she watches those around her, including her four beloved brothers and their best friend, get swept up in violent political ideologies and their consequences. She must ask herself: is it possible for anyone to move through life without doing harm?

About the Author

V. V. Ganeshananthan (she/her) is the author of the novels Brotherless Night, a New York Times Editors’ Choice, and Love Marriage, which was longlisted for the Women's Prize and named one of the best books of the year by The Washington Post. Her work has appeared in Granta, The New York Times, and The Best American Nonrequired Reading, among other publications.

About the Host

Lucy Pearson has been an avid and ardent reader for as long as she can remember. After graduating with a degree in double English, she went on to read the BBC’s Top 100 - a feat which introduced her to some of her all time favourite books. She started her blog, The Literary Edit in 2012, for which she won the London Book Fair’s inaugural Book Blogger of the Year award. In 2019 she co-founded The Bondi Literary Salon with G&A. Her favourite book is A Little Life and her favourite authors include Daphne Du Maurier, James Baldwin, John Steinbeck and Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche.

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.