To mark the paperback publication of Exciting Times

Slyly humorous and scorchingly smart, Naoise Dolan’s modern love story Exciting Times was an instant Sunday Times bestseller and one of the most talked about books of 2020. Join Naoise for an exclusive event in conversation with broadcaster and writer Pandora Sykes on inspiration, politics, culture and all things Exciting Times.

Ava, newly arrived in Hong Kong from Dublin, spends her days teaching English to rich children.

Julian is a banker. He likes to spend money on Ava, to have sex and discuss fluctuating currencies with her. But when she asks whether he loves her, he cannot say more than 'I like you a great deal'.

Enter Edith, a lawyer. Refreshingly enthusiastic and unapologetically earnest, Edith takes Ava to the theatre when Julian leaves Hong Kong for work. Quickly, she becomes something Ava looks forward to.

And then Julian writes to tell Ava he is coming back to Hong Kong... Should Ava return to the easy compatibility of her life with Julian or take a leap into the unknown with Edith?

Talking with Pandora Sykes, Naoise will consider the novel’s themes of love, relationships, privilege, identity, and otherness, and the electric ambivalence of figuring out how to be a person in these times.

Caustically clever and emotionally engaging, this is an evening with the new voice of a generation that you do not want to miss.

'A sharp, smart, witty modern love story. I loved it' David Nicholls

'Droll, shrewd and unafraid - a winning debut' Hilary Mantel