With thanks to the Durning Library Book Club and the wonderful Edwin Macrae who runs it.
Usually a book title in the Lambeth libraries collection is agreed with book club members and read beforehand. Then everyone sits around the table over refreshments and a discussion is held, taking in various opinions, before votes are given on a 0-10 rating scale.
This time, however, the monthly book club format was changed into A Meet the Author event, with a horseshoe seating arrangement instead. Edwin kicked things off by asking me to say something about myself, and give a short reading, before the discussion opened up.
The contributions were deeply thoughtful and often penetrating. By the end of the evening I had heard a gamut of opinions alongside acute
observations about the book’s structure, especially the link between parts one and two.
To add that the usual ratings score was dispensed with – I’m sure out of consideration for my sensibilities. Another thank you for the tact, as well as the generosity, of my fellow book club members. The sight of ‘Stalker’ in its protective library cover made me feel, for the first time, like a real author at last.
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