Daisy Lafarge – Paul
On:10th August 2021, 7:00pm - 8:00pm
This event was hosted on Tuesday 10th August.
REPLAY AVAILABLE HERE
We're looking forward to welcoming Daisy Lafarge to the bookshop to celebrate the launch of her debut novel, Paul. Daisy will be in conversation with fellow poet and writer, Sarah Bernstein. They will both join us in the bookshop and their socially distanced conversation will be streamed live to attendees viewing from home.
Frances is a young graduate student spending a summer volunteering in rural France, in the hope that tending vegetables and harvesting honey will distract her from a scandal that drove her out of Paris, her research unfinished and her sense of self unmoored.
At the eco-farm Noa Noa, she comes under the influence of its charismatic and domineering owner, Paul. As his hold over her tightens and her plans come unstuck, she finds herself entangled in a strange, uneven relationship. On a fraught road trip across the South of France, both are forced to reckon with uncomfortable truths.
A compelling and perturbing story of power, passivity and the cage of being ‘good’, Paul introduces a novelist of extraordinary perspicacity and lyricism.
Daisy Lafarge was born in Hastings and studied at the universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow. Her poetry collection Life Without Air (Granta Books, 2020) was shortlisted for the T. S. Eliot Prize. Paul, the winner of a Betty Trask Award, is her debut novel.
Sarah Bernstein is from Montreal, Quebec and lives in the North West Highlands. Her first novel The Coming Bad Days was published by Daunt Books in 2021. She teaches literature and creative writing, currently at Edinburgh University.
When you purchase a signed – and if requested, dedicated – copy of Paul via the options below, you receive access to watch the livestream from home. There is an option to purchase a £3 voucher, which also provides access to the livestream. The voucher can be used on any item in the bookshop and on our website – including books by featured authors.
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.