To mark the paperback publication of An Extra Pair of Hands

As our population ages, more and more of us find ourselves caring for parents and loved ones – some 8.8 million people in the UK. An invisible army of carers holding families together.

Join bestselling novelist Kate Mosse as she explores the very current political issue of care, a topic thrown into sharp relief by the pandemic, and overwhelmingly affecting women. As a longstanding campaigner for women’s rights, and chair of the Women’s Prize of Fiction, Kate is perfectly poised to explore the subject for this virtual event, to mark the paperback publication of her bestselling book An Extra Pair of Hands.

In conversation, Kate will share her personal story of finding herself as a carer in middle age: first, helping her mother look after her beloved father through Parkinson's, then supporting her mother in widowhood, and finally as 'an extra pair of hands' for her 90- year-old mother-in-law.

This is a story about the gentle heroism of our carers, about small everyday acts of tenderness, and finding joy in times of crisis. It's about juggling priorities, mindnumbing repetition, about guilt and powerlessness, about grief, and the solace of nature when we're exhausted or at a loss. It is also about celebrating older people, about learning to live differently - and think differently about ageing.

This evening promises to be a celebration of caring and a rallying cry for the acts of love that hold families together. But most of all, it's a story about love.

‘Brilliant ... uplifting, inspiring, a tribute to love’ Elif Shafak