Families, feelings, and fiction

An exciting opportunity to hear from two acclaimed authors as they discuss their novels. Though their books span genres, settings, and times, both explore the powers of family relationships, our sense of home, and the forces of change.

Kate’s novel, Good Things, follows two very different sisters, Maggie and Liz, as they navigate the loss of their grandmother and the unexpected return of their estranged father. While juggling the ups and downs of everyday life, the sisters resolve to make their father a part of their lives and make up for lost time.

Elizabeth’s debut novel, Whale Fall, tells the story of Manod’s life on a remote Welsh island on the cusp of the Second World War. When two anthropologists arrive on the island to study its people, Manod sees a rare opportunity to grasp a life for herself.

About the authors:
Kate MacDougall is the author of two books, London's Number One Dog Walking Agency and Good Things. Kate writes freelance for The Telegraph, Country Life and Homes and Antiques amongst others, and is currently working on her third book. She lives in Oxfordshire with her husband, three children and a variety of animals. 

Elizabeth O’Connor lives in Birmingham and Whale Fall is her debut novel. It was an Observer's Best Debut of the Year 2024. Her short stories have appeared in The White Review and Granta, and she was the winner of The White Review Short Story Prize in 2020. She has a PhD in English Literature from the University of Birmingham, on the modernist writer H.D. and her writing of coastal landscapes.