It was the first time that I had been to a book group (You might suggest I needed to get out more often… which is exactly what I did and really enjoyed the night) and I have to say that I would not have ended up reading this title to completion if I hadn’t read it with the purpose of sharing it with a group of unknown strangers. (Who I can now confirm were very welcoming, diverse group and good company.) A word of advice when you arrive at the Drayton is that some of the staff aren’t aware that a book group meet there each week but don’t be put off – they are there and they meet in a lounge area in the pub; a fitting room to chew the literary fat in. The novel is an account of the Indian rebellion of British subjects in India during [...]

This month the WEN reading group got stuck into the 468 pages of Lionel Shriver’s million-selling novel. It was my first visit to a book group, and as I marched myself down to the Drayton Court I had no idea what to expect. Clutching my copy of WNTTAK like an entry ticket, I tried to survey the delightful wood-panelled pub purposefully, until I spotted two young women at the bar. There was nothing for it but to accost them with the line, ‘Are you here to talk about Kevin?’ They were, and soon the whole group was off – when it comes to Kevin, there’s plenty to talk about. The teenager in question has killed nine people in a murder spree at his school, in a manner that Shriver makes clear is far from uncommon in contemporary America. Whilst it goes without saying that this is sickening and ghastly, it [...]