Tom's Book Club

John Boyne joins Tom’s Book Club to talk about his new novel, The Weight of Angels, an imaginative reworking of the life of Oscar Wilde that asks what might have happened if Wilde had made a different decision at a crucial moment in his life.In February 1895, the Marquess of Queensberry left his infamous calling card at the Albemarle Club, accusing Wilde of being a “posing Somdomite”. Wilde chose to sue for libel, setting in motion the events that would lead to his arrest, imprisonment, public disgrace and eventual death in Paris.But what if he had simply ignored the card?In The Weight of Angels, John Boyne imagines an alternative life for Oscar Wilde — one in which he avoids the court case and lives on into the twentieth century, encountering figures including Winston Churchill, Virginia Woolf, George Bernard Shaw, Emmeline Pankhurst and Rudyard Kipling.In this conversation, John Boyne discusses the challenge of recreating Oscar Wilde’s distinctive voice, writing historical fiction, and how he decided which real people and events to bring into Wilde’s imagined life. He talks about Wilde’s wit, fatherhood, and the complicated relationship between writers and the literary world. Boyne also reflects on his own writing career and what he has learned about writing after decades as a novelist.John Boyne is the author of 16 novels, including The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, The Heart’s Invisible Furies, the Elements Quartet and The Weight of Angels.

Louise Kennedy joins Tom’s Book Club to talk about her new novel, Stations, a powerful story of friendship, love, family and the long shadows cast by the choices we make when we are young.Set between Ireland in the 1980s and London, Stations follows Róisín McCaffrey, a teenage girl who becomes fascinated by Red, a sharp, intelligent and troubled boy who quickly becomes her closest friend. When Red leaves Ireland for London, Róisín eventually follows him, finding herself drawn into a complicated relationship that will continue to shape both their lives for decades.In this conversation, Louise Kennedy discusses where Stations came from, the return of Róisín - who first appeared in her short story Belladonna - and the challenge of writing characters whose lives unfold over many years. She talks about adolescence, the importance of London to the novel, and how memories from her own life found their way into the story.Louise also reflects on family relationships, writing across different periods of a character’s life, and her journey from a nearly 30-year career as a chef to becoming an award-winning novelist.Louise Kennedy is the author of Trespasses, which won the British Book Award for Debut Fiction, and was shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction. Her short-story collection, The End of the World Is a Cul de Sac, won the John McGahern Prize.

Derek Owusu joins Tom’s Book Club to discuss his powerful new novel, The Recovery House — a moving and darkly funny story about mental health, creativity, faith, friendship and finding a way back to yourself.Jamal is a gifted young writer who wakes in a recovery house after a devastating mental breakdown. Surrounded by other patients dealing with their own struggles, he begins to find unexpected friendship, humour and connection. As music, literature and spirituality become ways of making sense of his experiences, the boundaries between illness, inspiration, God and madness begin to blur.Derek discusses how much, or how little, of his own experiences made it into the book, as well as the role of humour, the importance of music - including The Cranberries’ Zombie - his relationship with faith, discovering reading in his twenties, and how he unexpectedly became a writer.

Emily St. John Mandel joins Tom’s Book Club to discuss her new novel, Exit Party, a gripping and unsettling novel about parallel worlds, political division, surveillance, freedom, art and the possibility of a different future.Set in 2031, Exit Party takes us to an America at war with itself, where the Republic of California has declared independence and a seemingly ordinary party in Los Angeles becomes increasingly strange. Ari, recently released from prison, finds herself caught between different versions of reality, before the novel opens up into a second America where many of society’s greatest problems have been solved - but at the cost of constant surveillance and conformity.Emily talks about where the novel began and the challenge of creating two radically different versions of America. We discuss the book’s exploration of militias, civil conflict and the ways people become accustomed to extraordinary circumstances.We also talk about Ari, a character Emily first introduced in The Singer’s Gun, the novel’s shifting perspectives and experimental structure; and how form, doubling and parallel worlds allow Emily to explore different versions of reality.Emily also discusses the role of art and creativity in Exit Party, the connections between this novel and her wider body of work, and the recurring characters and ideas that link her novels together.Tom’s Book Club is an independent books podcast featuring conversations with contemporary authors about their books, writing and creative process.

Meg Mason joins Tom’s Book Club to talk about her new novel, Sophie, Standing There a funny, candid and bittersweet story about loneliness, friendship, obsession and the unexpected ways we find connection.Meg is the author of the international bestseller Sorrow and Bliss, and in this conversation she discusses the creation of Sophie Pattison, a kind and deeply lonely woman whose life begins to change when she rediscovers the work of an author she hasn't read in years.We talk about loneliness and Meg’s own experiences of it, the emotional power of books and podcasts, and the parasocial relationships we can develop with writers we’ve never met. We also explore the world of book festivals and literary events, including the real authors who appear in the novel, Meg’s experiences of the publishing and literary world, and the inspiration behind some of the book’s funniest moments.

Kate Atkinson joins Tom’s Book Club to discuss Our Noble Selves, her new historical novel set in post-war Britain against the backdrop of the 1951 Festival of Britain.It’s the summer of 1951, and Britain is trying to put the darkness of the Second World War behind it. Former foreign correspondent and war reporter Harry Flynn joins the eccentric team preparing the Festival of Britain, while attempting to rebuild his life after the war. But when a woman he's been seeing goes missing, Flynn finds himself under suspicion and drawn into an investigation involving a cast of unforgettable characters.In this conversation, Kate Atkinson talks about the real history behind Our Noble Selves, including the extraordinary and often eccentric details of the Festival of Britain. She discusses her writing process and how she creates characters, including one inspired by television cook Fanny Craddock. We also explore Kate’s approach to humour and why even a novel dealing with the aftermath of war can be funny. Kate Atkinson is one of Britain’s most acclaimed novelists. Her debut novel, Behind the Scenes at the Museum, won the Whitbread Book of the Year prize. Her bestselling historical novels include Life After Life, A God in Ruins, Transcription and Shrines of Gaiety. She is also the author of the Jackson Brodie crime novels, including Case Histories and Death at the Sign of the Rook.

Patrick Ryan joins Tom’s Book Club to discuss Buckeye, his acclaimed debut novel about love, war, grief, family and the secrets that can shape generations.Set in the small town of Bonhomie, Ohio, Buckeye begins in May 1945, as the Second World War comes to an end. A chance encounter between Margaret Salt and hardware-store owner Cal Jenkins sets in motion a story that unfolds across generations, bringing together two couples - Cal and Becky, and Margaret and Felix - whose lives become intertwined in unexpected and sometimes devastating ways.In this conversation, Patrick Ryan talks about the inspiration behind Buckeye and the role his own family history played in the novel. We discuss the different ways people experience and process war, the lasting effects of trauma, and the complicated relationship between grief and forgiveness.Patrick also talks about his writing process, getting advice from Ann Patchett and why editing is far more fun than writing.

Avni Doshi joins Tom’s Book Club to discuss The First House, her dark and hypnotic second novel about marriage, motherhood, divorce, power and transformation.The novel begins with a woman being told by her husband that he wants a divorce. Convinced that they have had an almost perfect marriage, she is left to pick through the ruins of their shared life while caring for their two young daughters. As the summer unfolds, memories of her marriage begin to shift, warning signs emerge, and the boundaries between reality, mythology, astrology and the natural world start to blur.In this conversation, Avni Doshi talks about the inspiration behind The First House, creating an unnamed and flawed narrator, and exploring the power dynamics within marriage and family. We discuss patriarchy, motherhood, midlife, astrology, mythology and more.