Ali Millar – Ava Anna Ada
WithAli Millar
In conversation withFiona Mozley
On:24th January 2024, 7:00pm - 8:00pm
We're so excited to welcome author and journalist Ali Millar to the bookshop to celebrate the launch of her debut novel, Ava Anna Ada. She will be in conversation with fellow author Fiona Mozley. A dark horror fable of unhinged desire, Ava Anna Ada is a debut novel of rare power from the author of The Last Days.
This event will take place in the bookshop with an in-person audience, as well as a livestream for attendees watching from home. There will be a signing after the event.
In-person vouchers can be redeemed on the night of the event against a single copy of Ava Anna Ada – we will have a list of attendees with vouchers to be redeemed. Please note that only one voucher can be redeemed per book. Livestream vouchers are valid until the day after the event and can be redeemed on the website against a single copy of Ava Anna Ada.
About Ava Anna Ada:
The between days were days of pure white heat.
Summer is swelling around the village. Heat is surging, people are whispering about a great hungry wave, and in the garden, Anna is kicking her dying dog on the grass.
But someone is watching her. The girl. Ava.
Outside, the brutal summer blisters on. Inside, over the course of one claustrophobic week, Anna and Ava become caught up in their own world. Become swallowed by each-otherness. But what does Ava really want?
As faces fray and secrets splinter, the past casts the present anew, and Anna and Ava are forced to reckon with who they truly are. Because who we are, Ava Anna Ada warns us, is not always the same as what we are to each other.
Braiding climate chaos, lust, poetry and violence, Ali Millar’s debut novel is a contemporary fable against images and their enduring hold on us. Attuned to the knotty texture of reality, Ava Anna Ada asks us to confront the way things look in the dark – and what happens when what is buried comes into the light.
Please note: Tickets for our events are non-refundable. Professional photography and videography may take place during this event. Thank you for your understanding.
Participants:
Ali Millar Author
Born in Scotland and now living in London, Ali Millar is an author and journalist. Her debut memoir, The Last Days, was released by Penguin Random House to widespread critical acclaim in 2022. Ava Anna Ada is her debut novel.
Fiona Mozley Chair
Fiona Mozley is the author of two novels: Elmet (2017) and Hot Stew (2021). She has been short-listed for the Booker Prize and the Ondaatje Prize and has won a Somerset Maugham Award and the Polari Prize. She has been long-listed for the Women's Prize and the Dylan Thomas Prize. Her writing has appeared in the Guardian, The New Statesman, The Financial Times, The Fence Magazine and British Vogue, among others. She has been a judge for the BBC National Short Story Award. She lives in Edinburgh.
The venue
The Portobello Bookshop
46 Portobello High Street
Edinburgh
EH15 1DA
Telephone: 0131 629 6756
Website: www.theportobellobookshop.com
Wheelchair Access
We have a ramp at the front of the shop which has a ratio of 1:10 and loading capacity of 300kg, and so should be able to be used by most wheelchair users or those with mobility vehicles. The front doors are fully automated. Our shop interior is designed to allow access throughout for wheelchair users and prams, though please note there is only 700mm wide clearance to access the staff toilet.
Sound
We use a PA system to enhance the audio at our live events. We also have a hearing loop system installed, if you’d like to use our loop system during an event please let us know and we’ll make sure we have it set up and connected to the live audio feed during the event. If you wish to attend an event and require BSL interpretation, please give us a few weeks notice and we’ll do our best to arrange an interpreter.