Isabel Waidner - As If
WithIsabel Waidner
In conversation withMaria Fusco
On:23rd March 2026, 7:00pm - 8:00pm
Attendance options:
We're really excited that Isabel Waidner is coming to the bookshop to celebrate the Edinburgh launch of their latest novel, As If. The book follows two characters as they swerve onto the road not taken – a deeply empathetic, tragicomic novel that reckons with the absurdity of modern lives. Waidner will be in conversation with interdisciplinary writer Maria Fusco.
Please note that As If will be published on 26th February, therefore books for the Book & Ticket options will be posted out to you or made available to collect from the bookshop between then and the event on Monday 23rd March. You can choose whether you would prefer collection or postage in the checkout options.
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 As If – 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 our website against a single copy of As If.
About As If:
Two men meet in a flat in London. They are total strangers and yet they look remarkably alike. Lewis is grieving his dead wife; Korine is hiding from his very-much-alive one. Lewis never had children; Korine is an ambivalent parent at best. Lewis is an erstwhile actor, too depressed to attend the big audition that has just fallen into his lap. Korine has tried a dozen dead-end jobs but never pursued his acting dreams.
Two men living mirror image lives. Each seeking a second chance to get things right. Each wanting what the other has.
As If is an existential farce about the road not taken. Surreal and slyly poignant, suffused with ironic melancholia, it is a parable for the twenty-first century everyman: a character trapped in reality’s hall of mirrors, endlessly searching for something to live for.
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:
Isabel Waidner Author
Isabel Waidner is the author of five novels – including Sterling Karat Gold,which won the Goldsmiths Prize and was shortlisted for the Orwell Prize for Political Fiction and the Republic of Consciousness Prize, and Corey Fah Does Social Mobility which was shortlisted for the Arthur C. Clarke Award. They teach in the School of the Arts at Queen Mary University of London.
Maria Fusco Chair
Dr Maria Fusco is Professor of Interdisciplinary Writing at the University of Dundee. She is a working-class Belfast-born interdisciplinary writer working across critical, performance and theory writing and is the author of eight books.
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.