Everything was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt, Bondi Literary Salon Book Club

Join the Bondi Literary Salon for our next book club. In our gathering, we will discuss Ben Reeves' brand new novel, Everything was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt.

WHEN: Tuesday, 22nd of September 2026, 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.

‘Incredible... I guarantee it will completely alter the way you view the world’. - Joanna Cannon

The Book:

Travis Smith is Death in the modern world. He lives with his cat in a grey English town. He offers people comfort in their final days and hours of life. He's stoic, gentle, a little naive, despite what he knows. He's handsome, he seems young, despite what he is. Each death has a meaning to him, and he never tries to change anyone's fate. He listens and never judges, and ultimately escorts each of them to rest.

Travis is desperately lonely, and when he crosses paths with young single midwife called Dalia who lives across the way and her boisterous eight-year-old daughter Layla, he can't help but be drawn to them. Dalia is beautiful and overwhelmed, and Layla seems to have a never-ending trove of small treasures to show Travis, and he's never felt the importance of making every moment count so clearly. Because he knows what's to come, and he can't make himself look away. As he learns what it means to really experience death, he's torn between his nature and his newfound understanding of the important things about being alive.

The Host:

Myrophora Koureas is a passionate, lifelong reader and avid brooch collector. Her ever-growing "to-read" pile has a mix of contemporary new releases and timeless classics. For Myrophora, buying books is an act of supporting the independent bookstore ecosystem and honoring creativity. Gertrude and Alice is Myrophora's literary home where she regularly joins the dynamic discussions of the Bondi Literary Salon and author events. She often meets friends for a chai at G&A.

She is a long-time Bondi Literary Salon member.

The Author:

Ben Reeves lives in Peterborough with his wife and two children, and he won the Bath Novel Award 2024 for this novel. When he's not writing, he paints, makes music, and works as a web designer for a book printing company.

An astonishing and deeply moving novel about finding beauty in the brevity of life, as narrated by the one who knows it best: Death.

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 group 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 homemade 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.