Gliterary Lunches - Food For Thought

The Sun Hasn't Fallen from the Sky
by Alison Gangel

The Author

Alison Gangel is an inspirational speaker whose first book is a beautifully written memoir of her Glaswegian childhood growing up in Mcgregor's Orphan Homes after she and her sister were removed from the care of their adored parents. From hard knocks to redemption through music, Alison's new classic echoes Janice Galloway, Jackie Kay and Billy Elliot.

Praise for Alison Gangel

'This is a gleaming gem of a memoir ... Written with economy and an exquisitely judged sense of pace. She pulls off the impressive trick of combining a compelling child's-eye view of the world with a mature writer's sense of control ...'
Christopher Silvester, Daily Express

The Plot

Seven-year-old Ailsa Dunn's Ma is prettier than all the other mothers, her Da is the most handsome man in the world. ...But the grown-up world is complicated, and when alcohol intrudes, violence becomes the norm and unpredictability reigns. Ailsa and her big sister Morag - both Ailsa's cruellest tormentor and her staunchest defender - are removed from the care of their adored parents and enrolled at McGregor's Orphan Homes, a world away from their Wallace Street tenement. Here, the rules are strict: there are chores, there are curfews and visits from Ma and Da become fewer and further between. But there's also fish and chips, a holiday by the sea, a pillowcase full of toys at Christmas and, life-changing for Ailsa, an inspirational teacher and the discovery of a musical talent that will give her the opportunity to take her future into own hands. The Sun Hasn't Fallen From the Sky is a vibrant portrait of two sisters growing up together in 1970s Glasgow as their family falls apart; a tender childhood memoir both heartbreaking and uplifting.

The Devil's Garden
by Edward Docx

The Author

Edward Docx, a graduate of Christ's College, Cambridge, was born in the north of England and grew up in Manchester and London. He began his professional writing career working on national newspapers. In 2003, his first novel, The Calligrapher was selected by the San Francisco Chronicle and the San Jose Mercury News as a Best Book of the Year and is now translated into eight languages. In 2007, his second novel Self Help was long-listed for the Man Booker and went on to win The Geoffrey Faber Prize. Edward Docx lives in London.

Praise for Edward Docx

'Docx can place you in each heart-stopping moment, speed up and slow down time from one sentence to the next... the novel is masterful'
The Guardian

The Plot

Dr Forle is a scientist living on an Amazon river station deep in the South American jungle where he and his international crew of colleagues work with locals to study the eerie forest glades that the Indians call 'devil's gardens'.

But when a sinister Colonel and a cynical Judge arrive, life at the station is thrown into chaos. From that moment on he is drawn deeper and deeper into a small war involving remote tribes, the army, cocaine growers and the woman whom he has come to love. Forle is gradually forced to take sides, but which one? And what kind of a man is he?

This is an unflinching story of self-discovery set in a landscape where all boundaries are contested. A novel about the timeless and the new, about religion and science, and about the clash between the powerful opposing forces that seek to determine our future.