Edinburgh Summer Gliterary Lunch with Nikki May and Louisa Treger

This Motherless Land
Nikki May

The Author

Born in Bristol and raised in Lagos, Nikki May is Anglo-Nigerian. Her critically acclaimed debut novel Wahala won the Comedy Women In Print New Voice Prize, was longlisted for the Goldsboro Glass Bell Award and the Diverse Books Award, and is being turned into a major BBC TV drama series.

This Motherless Land is her second novel. Nikki lives in Dorset with her husband, two standard Schnauzers and way too many books. She should be working on her third book but is probably reading.

The Book

When Funke’s mother dies in a tragic accident in Lagos, she’s sent to live with her maternal family in England. Traumatised by grief and against a backdrop of condescension and mild neglect, conformist Funke strives to fit in, determined to become one of them.

Free-spirited Liv has always wanted to break free of her joyless family, resolved to be nothing like them. Fiercely protective of Funke, she at last has a purpose, and an ally. The two cousins give each other what they need most: love.   But the past casts long shadows.

Witty, warm, hugely entertaining, This Motherless Land bridges three decades and two continents, delving into the thorny territories of race and culture and belonging. At its heart is a story about love and how it can make the difference between surviving and thriving.

Praise for Nikki May

”Wahala’ means ‘trouble’ and there’s plenty of it in this entertaining debut. A fascinating, funny and nuanced look at identity and female friendship’   Guardian

The Paris Muse
Louisa Treger

The Author

Louisa Treger is the acclaimed author of three novels, The Lodger (2014), The Dragon Lady (2019) and Madwoman (2022), which was a Book of the Month in the Independent and The Sunday Times. She has written for The Times, The Telegraph, Tatler, BBC History Magazine and English Heritage. Treger has a First Class degree and a PhD in English Literature from UCL, and currently lives in London.

The Book

‘Living with him was like living at the centre of the universe. It was electrifying and humbling, blissful and destructive, all at the same time.’

Paris, 1936. When Dora Maar, a talented French photographer, painter and poet, is introduced to Pablo Picasso, she is mesmerized by his dark and intense stare. Drawn to his volcanic creativity, it isn’t long before she embarks on a passionate relationship with the Spanish artist that ultimately pushes her over the edge.

This is the fictionalised love story between the artist and muse Dora Maar and Pablo Picasso.  It is an astonishing read which shows Dora was so much more than Picasso’s ‘Weeping Woman’, she was a gifted artist in her own right.

Praise for Louisa Treger

‘Dora Maar, “The Weeping Woman” of Picasso’s famous paintings, steps out of the canvas in Louisa Treger’s unforgettable new novel.’ Gill Paul, author of A Beautiful Rival.