Eastbourne author draws on world travel for library talk

Suzanne Joinson, self-confessed wanderer, train-hopper, garden-snooper, and critically acclaimed Sussex writer, will be at Eastbourne Library in Grove Road on Thursday 18 April from 7.30pm to 9pm.

Having worked as a writer and with the British Council across Asia and the Middle East, Suzanne knows how it feels to be a stranger in a foreign land, feelings which are distilled in her debut novel, A Lady Cyclist’s Guide to Kashgar. Published in 2012, it was Guardian/Observer Book of the Year 2012 and has been translated into 12 languages.

It is a story about English missionaries and cycling in deserts in 1923. It is also about being lost in present-day London. There are seagulls and maps and an exploration of the fault lines that appear when the traditions from different parts of the world crash into each other, partly set in the downland of Sussex and seaside town of Eastbourne.

The evening will include readings from the novel, a short interview and audience questions. Suzanne will also be signing books after the event.

To book a ticket, which costs £3 and includes a glass of wine or soft drink, visit Eastbourne Library, call 0345 6080196 and ask for Eastbourne Library or email library.eastbourne@eastsussex.gov.uk