January 2026 Brunch Book Club

We’re kicking off 2026 with a thought-provoking and unforgettable read: The Merge by Grace Walker. A haunting speculative novel about love, memory, and what it means to truly share a life.

Laurie is sixty-five and living with Alzheimer’s. Her daughter Amelia can’t bear to lose her, so when she hears of a pioneering “merging” process that allows two minds to become one, she takes a leap no mother or daughter has before. But as they enter the world of The Village, where other merge participants live, the line between devotion and control begins to blur.

Join us for an online discussion exploring this emotionally charged, eerily prescient story, followed by brunch at The Alchemist, St Martin’s Lane, where we’ll swap thoughts over theatrical cocktails and delicious food in true Brunch Book Club style.

See you at brunch! 🥂📚🥑

PREORDER & PREPAYMENT POLICY: To confirm your place, we require a full preorder and prepayment one week in advance of the event. If these aren’t received by the deadline, your ticket will be forfeited. A preorder form will be sent to attendees via email two weeks before the event. Please ensure you add to your contacts and check your spam to avoid disappointment.

Once the process begins, there can be no going back, we will always be together…

Laurie is sixty-five and living with Alzheimer’s. Her daughter Amelia can’t bear to see her mother’s mind fade. Faced with the reality of losing her forever, Amelia signs them up to take part in the world’s first experimental merging process for Alzheimer’s patients, in which Laurie’s ailing mind will be transferred into Amelia’s healthy body and their consciousness will be blended as one.

Soon Amelia and Laurie join a group of other merge participants: teenage Lucas, who plans to merge with his terminally ill brother Noah; Ben, who will merge with his pregnant fiancée Annie; and Jay, whose merging partner is his unwilling addict daughter Lara.

As they prepare to move to The Village, a luxurious rehabilitation centre for those who have merged, they quickly begin to question whether everything is really as it seems.

Step into the world of mystic mixology at The Alchemist, where every cocktail tells a story and brunch feels like an experiment in magic. Located in the heart of Covent Garden, this bar and restaurant is famous for its creative concoctions — from the colour-changing “Lightbulb Moment” to the disco-infused bottomless brunch.

Choose three cocktails and a brunch dish for £40, or go boundless for an extra £10 and let the alchemy flow.

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Info: A guided online book discussion hosted by our founder Taragh who will run through a set of pre-prepared questions. A link to this discussion is sent out the week of our event along with the discussion questions. To receive these first please subscribe to our mailing list. If you haven't received a link please check your spam folder and ensure you have added our email address: [email protected] Please note this is held online NOT at the venue.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

The Alchemist, 63-66 Saint Martin's Lane, London, United Kingdom

Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.

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