Claire-Louise Bennett

‘We read in order to come to life.’

On September 14th we will be joined in the bookshop by the brilliant Claire-Louise Bennett, author of bookseller-favourite Pond, for her new novel Checkout-19. 

With fierce imagination, a woman revisits the moments that shape her life; from crushes on teachers to navigating relationships in a fast-paced world; from overhearing her grandmothers’ peculiar stories to nurturing her own personal freedom and a boundless love of literature.

Fusing fantasy with lived experience, Checkout 19 is a vivid and mesmerising journey through the small traumas and triumphs that define us – as readers, as writers, as human beings.

Pond, was shortlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize in 2016 and Claire-Louise’s writing has appeared in publications including White Review, Stinging Fly, gorse, Harper’s Magazine, Vogue Italia, Music & Literature, and New York Times Magazine. Checkout-19 has been deemed a ‘Books of 2021’ pick in the Guardian, Daily Mail, Daily Telegraph, Irish Times Culture, and New Statesman.