Come along on Wednesday 21 October from 7pm to Kerrera Craft Beer & Gin bar to discuss 'The Witch' by Marie Ndiaye,

Come along on Wednesday 21 October from 7pm to Kerra Craft & Gin in Guildford, to discuss ‘The Witch’ by Marie NDiaye, translated by Jordan Stump.

✨ Event Details ✨

📅 Date: Wednesday 21 October

⏰ Time: 7:00–9:00pm

📍 Location: Kerrera Craft Beer & Gin Bar, 7 Jeffries Passage, Guildford GU1 4AP

🎟️ Refunds & Tickets:

While we’re unable to offer refunds, if you can’t make it, your ticket can be transferred to a future event.

About this month's book:

In a small, sleepy town, a mediocre witch, in a mediocre marriage, tries to pass on her gifts to her twin daughters, who, it becomes immediately apparent, have skills far beyond her own.

Lucie comes from a long line of witches, powers passed down from mother to daughter. Her own mum was formidable in her powers, but ashamed of her magic. Perhaps as a result, Lucie's own gift is weak: she can see into the future, sometimes - but more often, she can only see the present of some other location. Not very useful. And the worst part? All she can ever see are insignificant details - a scrap of outfit, the colour of the sky.

Lucie's own children are initiated into their family's peculiar womanhood when they reach twelve years of age, and in a few short months, Maud and Lise are crying the curious tears of blood that denote their magical powers. Having learned, they take off quickly and fly the nest. Literally.

Witty, dreamlike, vaguely unsettling, and utterly enchanting (pun intended), The Witch brings the mysteries of womanhood and motherhood into sharp relief and leaves us teetering on the edge, unbalanced by questions as seemingly unbreakable relationships break down left and right.

Who is to blame for family failures? And how can you - can you? - build a nest that no one wants to fly?

About the author, Marie NDiaye:

Marie NDiaye was born in France and published her first novel at the age of 17

Her works have won the Prix Femina (Rosie Carpe in 2001) and the Prix Goncourt (Three Strong Women, 2009). Her play Papa Doit Manger has been taken into the repertoire of the Comédie Française.

Her novel Ladivine (https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/ladivine) (translated into English by Jordan Stump (https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/authors/jordan-stump)) was longlisted for the International Booker Prize in 2016 (https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/prize-years/international/2016), and in 2020 she was awarded the Prix Marguerite Yourcenar for her entire body of work.

Stump’s translation of her novel The Witch (https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/the-witch), first published in French in 1996, was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize 2026 (https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/prize-years/international/2026).

NDiaye lives in Paris.

Ticket prices:

Tickets for this event range from £6-20. If you cannot afford them then just drop us an email at: londonfeministbookclubcic@gmail.com and we'll see what we can do.

Refund policy:

We are over the moon that our events are becoming so popular, so because of that we have made are operating a no refund policy. We are more than happy for you to use your ticket for a future book club, or to give your ticket to a fellow book club member, but as of 2024 - we will no longer giving refunds. Apologies in advance!

The Feminist Book Club House Rules:

We welcome feminists from all walks of life and backgrounds, and this group is open to everyone - we want this to be a fully inclusive space;

You don’t need to be an ‘expert feminist’ (whatever that means) to be involved - we want to read books that everyone can enjoy, and that cater to people’s different experiences and understandings of feminism;

This is primarily a social space, for meeting and getting to know like-minded people - so while feminism can be a heavy topic, we hope to keep this more on the fun side;

This is a judgement free zone - don’t belittle or undermine other members, or those who don’t have the same ideas as you. Don’t shut down other people’s views and be respectful;

If you feel like anyone goes against any of these values, let us know!

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www.thefeministbookclub.co.uk

Description supplied by the event organiser.