A few weeks back I attended another author event at my local Waterstones. This time around it is was for Holly Muller who was talking about her debut novel My Own Dear Brother
With only one lamp and some subtle lighting along the floor this atmosphere provided an intimate and personal feel to discuss what is actually a heartbreaking piece of literature.
Holly discussed her heritage, She is half Austrian and half Welsh both her parents were also in attendance also we got to find out about the preparation and research for the book which included how she and her husband David actually moved to Austria for three months and interviewed locals, family members & also had direct testimonies from people alive at the time.
There were 3 readings in total – An introduction to the principle characters Ursula, Anton & Schosi (who is based on a family member) A Village Manhunt that is based on a real life event & lastly Ursula’s discovery of double standards – I will keep this bit spoiler free just incase you haven’t had the change to read it yet. I will point out that last year I only gave one book a full 5 stars, My Own Dear Brother now shares that too that’s how good it is
After the readings followed a brief Q&A Session before a book signing which discussed the resurgence of the far right, reader feedback, the interest that the book has had in Australia & Holly’s next work.
It’s always such an honour to attend such events, especially when the work in question will stay with you for a long time. A big thanks also to Waterstones Cardiff for putting the event on
Want to know the significance of this picture ? Read the book and you find out 🙂
You can find out more about Holly via her website which can find here
Have you read My Own Dear Brother yet ? If so what did you think of it ?
