Glasgow Gliterary Lunch with Maureen Freely & Liza North

My Blue Peninsula
Maureen Freely

The Author

Maureen Freely was born in the US but grew up in Turkey. After graduating from Radcliffe College, Harvard University, she moved to England, where she teaches at the University of Warwick. She has, in addition to authoring eight novels, translated many classics of twentieth century Turkish literature as well as five books by the Nobel Laureate Orhan Pamuk. Formerly Chair and President of English PEN, she continues to campaign for freedom of expression worldwide.

The Book

Having narrowly escaped death in an extremist attack in Istanbul which killed her ex-husband, Dora Giraud sets out to explain herself to her adult daughters.  In a confession spanning nearly seven notebooks, she  outlines their tangled family history in an attempt to clarify the decisions she has made which led to this moment – and why she remains in Istanbul, risking her life to campaign for the truth about the Greek, Armenian and Assyrian genocides, fiercely and often violently denied for a century by the Turkish state.

Her own family research reveals that she is the direct descendant of both victims and perpetrators of such genocide. Through this confession, she hopes to set her daughters free from a tangled legacy of loss, betrayal, lies, and ill-gotten gains.

Beautifully written, both intimate and epic, and with an extraordinary cast of multi-faceted characters, My Blue Peninsula is Maureen Freely’s fourth novel set in Istanbul, the city of her childhood. As in each of the Istanbul novels, a character who had previously appeared on the sidelines takes centre stage in this book, as she delves further into the ancient city’s rich society.

Praise for Maureen Freely

Freely’s roman à clef is compulsively readable, thought-provoking and entertaining.  The Independent

Obsessed
Liza North

The Author

Liza North is a Scottish-based writer of psychological thrillers. Her debut novel, Obsessed, was published by Constable (Little, Brown) on 25 May 2023, and her second will be published in late summer 2024. Also an academic and former journalist, Liza has a BA from Oxford University and a PhD in Philosophy from University College London, and has written for the Financial Times and Guardian.

A keen cyclist, walker and lover of fancy gin, she lives in Edinburgh with her husband and two daughters.

The Book

Obsessed is a stunning debut psychological thriller about desire, infatuation and the far-reaching consequences of betrayal.  It is a dark page-turner for fans of Blood Orange by Harriet Tyce and Anatomy of a Scandal by Sarah Vaughan.

Laura has a husband, children and a home in a city she loves. She thinks she can be happy, despite her past… until someone walks back into her life who she knows will shatter everything. Alexis was her first love.  A love so exhilarating, it is impossible to resist. Then Alexis is found dead, and the police are knocking at Laura’s door. They’re asking her questions and she’s telling them lies.

Someone wants Laura to pay for what she’s been running from. Someone with an obsession that they can’t let go.

Praise for Liza North

An impressive debut . . .Wonderfully constructed, this is at once a brilliant murder story, with enough spins of uncertainty to satisfy whilst remaining all-too-credible, and also a richly-perceptive account of female needs for connection, affection, love and sex.  The Critic