An evening with Suzanne Joinson

Join us on Tuesday 1 October, 7pm when we'll be welcoming bestselling author, Suzanne Joinson to West Kirby, to celebrate the publication of her incredible memoir, THE MUSEUM OF LOST AND FRAGILE THINGS.
Suzanne will be reading from the book, before being in conversation with Jordan from the bookshop, answering questions from the audience and signing copies of THE MUSEUM OF LOST AND FRAGILE THINGS.
Tickets are £6/ £15 (inc. a copy of the book) and complimentary drinks will be provided. This event is non-refundable, and if you can't make the talk, please email [email protected] to reserve a signed/dedicated copy of the book.
About THE MUSEUM OF LOST AND FRAGILE THINGS:

‘Inspiring and heart breaking. The best evocation of complex mother, daughter relationships I have ever read.’ --- Lily Dunn
‘A gripping portrait of a life, a relationship, a mind as it stretches and stretches.’
--- Dr Noreen Masud
‘Joinson’s memoir is a kind of reverse excavation where she hunts down objects to then bury them through her generous prose. Her hunt for material proof of a past that constantly shifts and slips is riveting, sad, but in many ways triumphant.’
--- Jen Calleja
'There’s such a lot to say about this book; Joinson’s evocation of a northern working class childhood, a life lived inside a cult and an adult struggle to understand those identities in a way that is truthful to her own experience and makes careful room for the perspective of others was something I could really personally connect with.’
--- Jenn Ashworth

‘In this haunting, elegantly written memoir, a writer looks back on a childhood lived at the knife-edge of existentialism, caught between the adults in her life, who will sacrifice everything to their predatory cult leader in exchange for promises of transcendence and immortality, and the oppressive norms of Thatcher-era Britain. Joinson powerfully evokes the sublime terror, beauty, and magic of girlhood, and audits complicated family bonds and rifts with stunning tenderness and clarity.’
--- May-Lan Tan

Suzanne Joinson grew up in a 1980s council estate in Crewe, where her parents were followers of The Divine Light Mission cult. This clash of class and counterculture destroyed her family, leaving a legacy of turmoil and poverty. Years later, she attempts to reclaim what she’s lost and piece together the impact of a childhood infused with esoteric yoga practices, psychedelic encounters, and meditation techniques.
The Museum of Lost and Fragile Things explores the realm of mother-daughter relationships and inherited class-based trauma, in a moving, delicately-woven account of coming to terms with a complicated past.
About SUZANNE JOINSON:

Suzanne Joinson is the author of two novels, A Lady Cyclist’s Guide to Kashgar and The Photographer’s Wife. Her books are translated into fourteen languages, and she was a National Bestseller in the US.

Suzanne won the New Writing Ventures Award, was longlisted for the IMPAC International Literary Fiction Award, and is a member of the Folio Academy. She has been published in The New York Times, the Guardian, and Conde Nast Traveller. She lives with her family in Sussex.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

The West Kirby Bookshop, 6 Grange Road, Birkenhead, United Kingdom