One of the best things about reading together is that a book doesn’t have to end when you close it. You get to bring everything it left you thinking and feeling to a group of people who’ve been there too.
This February, we’re reading your choice, Mornings in Jenin by Susan Abulhawa: a Palestinian family story spanning generations of love, loss, displacement and the determination to keep living.
Brunch Book Club stands with Palestine. Making space for Palestinian writers, stories and experiences is part of that commitment—and this month, we’re taking the time to read closely and listen to one another.
We’ll be talking about home, belonging, family and what it means to preserve your history when so much is being taken from you. There’s a lot here, and you don’t need to arrive knowing exactly how to put it into words. Sometimes “I can’t stop thinking about this bit” is where the best discussion starts.
After our online conversation, we’ll meet at Maxwell’s in Covent Garden for an afternoon together. There’ll be familiar faces, new introductions and room for the conversation to wander, as it reliably does once we’re all around a table.
Come with questions. Come with passages you’ve underlined. Come knowing you don’t have to have a perfectly formed opinion to belong here.
See you at brunch!
A note before you read: this novel includes war, displacement and violence, including harm to children. Please take care of yourself while reading and participating.
To get exclusive early access to our events, sign up to our mailing list now!
Maxwell’s Bar and Grill, Covent Garden
In the heart of Soho, Scarlett Green has become one of London’s most beloved brunch spots for good reason. Warm, lively and effortlessly stylish, it blends Australian-inspired dishes, excellent cocktails and the kind of buzzing atmosphere that makes you want to stay all afternoon.
Known for its sociable energy and beautifully designed interiors, Scarlett Green feels perfectly suited to Brunch Book Club: intimate enough for meaningful conversation, lively enough for post-discussion cocktails and ideal for groups gathering over very serious literary analysis and multiple rounds of drinks.
Mornings in Jenin
by Susan Abulhawa
Mornings in Jenin is a devastating novel of love and loss, war and oppression, and heartbreak and hope, spanning five countries and four generations of one of the most intractable conflicts of our lifetime.
Palestine, 1948. Half a million Palestinians are forced from their homes. A mother clutches her six-month-old son as Israeli soldiers march through the village of Ein Hod. In a split second, her son is snatched from her arms and the fate of the Abulheja family is changed forever.
Forced into a refugee camp in Jenin and exiled from the ancient village that is their lifeblood, the family struggles to rebuild their world. Their stories unfold through the eyes of the youngest sibling, Amal, the daughter born in the camp who will eventually find herself alone in the United States; the eldest son who loses everything in the struggle for freedom; the stolen son who grows up as an Israeli, becoming an enemy soldier to his own brother.
TICKETS
£15 | In-Person Brunch Book Club
Includes our online discussion and your reserved seat at brunch. Food and drinks are paid for separately.
£5 | Online-Only Book Club
Join us for the full book discussion from the comfort of your sofa, favourite café or wherever you fancy!
THE IMPORTANT BITS
Our in-person brunches are for women (including trans women), non-binary people and the LGBTQ+ community. Online discussions are open to everyone.
Food and drinks are purchased separately from your ticket.
Brunch guests must complete any required pre-payment and menu selections seven days before the event.
Tickets are refundable up to seven days before the event.
Our discussions contain spoilers, so please finish the book beforehand.
Online joining details will be emailed during the week of the event.
You can sit with us. Always.
To ensure you receive all communications please add admin@brunchbookclub.com to your contacts and always check your spam.
PLEASE NOTE: This is an all day event starting with our online book discussion at 10:30am followed by brunch in the afternoon. To ensure you have all details please sign up to our mailing list where you'll receive a full itinerary, discussion questions, Online Discussion link and much more.
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. To ensure you receive all communications please add admin@brunchbookclub.com to your contacts and always check your spam.