You can sit with us! Join us for books, brunch and booze!

This October we’re heading to Blame Gloria Clapham Junction for The Names by Florence Knapp. Be prepared for a breathtaking and emotionally devastating novel that explores domestic abuse, identity, autonomy and the quiet moments that alter the course of a life forever.

We’ll be taking our butts to the hotspot that is Blame Gloria for an afternoon of club classics, cocktails, drag performances and deeply emotional literary discussion, which honestly feels like exactly the right energy for this book.

Online discussion: 10:30am–12:30pm

Bottomless brunch at Blame Gloria Clapham Junction: 4pm–6pm

See you at brunch! 🥂📚🥑

PREORDER & PREPAYMENT POLICY: To confirm your place, we require a full preorder and prepayment one week in advance of the event. If these aren’t received by the deadline, your ticket will be forfeited. A preorder form will be sent to attendees via email two weeks before the event.

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The Names by Florence Knapp

In the wake of a catastrophic storm, Cora sets off with her nine-year-old daughter, Maia, to register her son’s birth. Her husband, Gordon, a local doctor, respected in the community but a terrifying and controlling presence at home, intends for her to name the infant after him. But when the registrar asks what she’d like to call the child, Cora hesitates...

Spanning thirty-five years, what follows are three alternate and alternating versions of Cora’s and her young son’s lives, shaped by her choice of name. In richly layered prose, The Names explores the painful ripple effects of domestic abuse, the messy ties of family, and the possibilities of autonomy and healing.

With exceptional sensitivity and depth, Knapp draws us into the story of one family, told through a prism of what-ifs, causing us to consider the “one… precious life” we are given. The book’s brilliantly imaginative structure, propulsive storytelling, and emotional, gut-wrenching power are certain to make The Names a modern classic.

Blame Gloria, Clapham Junction

Part glitter-fuelled house party, part nostalgic nightclub fever dream, Blame Gloria is one of London’s most unapologetically chaotic brunch experiences and honestly, perfect for a Saturday spent discussing emotionally life-altering literature.

Expect drag performances, huge singalongs, 90s and 00s club classics, bottomless cocktails and the kind of energy that turns strangers into best friends by dessert. Loud, playful and delightfully unhinged in the best possible way, this is brunch with absolutely no indoor voice required.

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