The Passion According to GH, Bondi Literary Salon Book Club

Join the Bondi Literary Salon for our February book club, hosted by Maz Dixon and Nathan Cureton! In our gathering, we will discuss Clarice Lispector's novel, The Passion According to G.H.

WHEN: Thursday, 5th February 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.

A disoriented and confused young woman looks back on her life and her place in the world.

The Book:

G.H., a well-to-do Rio sculptress, enters the room of her maid, which is as clear and white 'as in an insane asylum from which dangerous objects have been removed'. There she sees a cockroach - black, dusty, prehistoric - crawling out of the wardrobe and, panicking, slams the door on it. Her irresistible fascination with the dying insect provokes a spiritual crisis, in which she questions her place in the universe and her very identity, propelling her towards an act of shocking transgression.

The Author:

Clarice Lispector was a Ukrainian-born Brazilian novelist and short story writer. Her distinctive and innovative works delve into diverse narrative forms, weaving themes of intimacy and introspection, earning her subsequent international acclaim.

The Hosts:

Maz Dixon is an artist and avid reader who has been supporting her reading habit through Gertrude & Alice for many years. When she’s not combing through big glossy art books she’s reading travel, history, essays and novels. Her favourite books include Midnight in Sicily by Peter Robb, A Field Guide to Getting Lost by Rebecca Solnit, Their Brilliant Careers by Ryan O’Neill and The Volcano Lovers by Susan Sontag. VLI The Lost Dog by Michelle de Kretser is probably her favourite novel as it changed the way she looked at painting and being an artist. 

Nathan Cureton was raised on a diet of Edgar Alan Poe, Ray Bradbury, Ursula Le Guin, and Roald Dahl, Nathan is a fan of the absurd, the comical, the macabre and the silly. Favourite books include Catch 22, Pride & Prejudice, The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and David Copperfield. He will read anything by Umberto Eco, Iris Murdoch and Mary Beard. His TBR pile has its own postcode and he will almost always judge a book by its cover. His favourite opening line is “I write this sitting in the kitchen sink” from I Capture the Castle and favourite closing line is “Captain Ahab could be a bit of a dick himself” from Moby Dick.

Clarice Lispector's spare, deeply disturbing yet luminous novel transforms language into something otherworldly, and is one of her most unsettling and compelling works.

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.