Join debut novelist Fran Fabriczki as she presents Porcupines, an irresistible story about mothers and daughters, the things we carry with us, and those we leave behind.
Los Angeles, 2001. Sonia is raising her daughter, Mila, alone in the sunny but somnolent suburbs of LA. Her days are a blur of not-quite-illegal business activities, avoiding other moms, and baking birthday cakes laced with rum: minor mistakes that nevertheless remind her she doesn't belong.
Mila, meanwhile, is juggling violin and swimming lessons and navigating the treacherous social politics of school—all the while trying to get her mother to share something, anything, about her past.
But there are just too many things that Mila doesn't know: She doesn't know that her mother grew up in Soviet Hungary (where getting your hands on a banana was one of the greatest thrills in life). She doesn't know that her mother has a sister called Rina (whom she hasn't spoken to in 10 years). The only thing she does know about her father is that he was a 'good time' (according to her mother). Crucially, she doesn't know that there is a very good reason why her mother dodges everyone, from traffic cops to vice principals.
This will be an evening exploring the secrets mothers keep, the immigrant experience of never quite belonging, the treacherous social politics of American suburbia, and what happens when the distance between who we were and who we've become becomes impossible to maintain.
“Destined to become an instant classic. Richly drawn characters in an immigrant journey as old as America herself.” Adriana Trigiani, bestselling author of The View from Lake Como

The ‘stream and book’ package includes a unique ticket for the stream, and a copy of Porcupines (RRP £16.99) deliverable to any UK address.
The event will initially be broadcast on 13 April at 6.30pm UK time. It will be available to view up to two weeks after the event has ended and can be accessed Worldwide. If you live in a time zone that does not suit the initial broadcast time you can watch it at any point after the initial showing for two weeks.
If you have any questions, please email [email protected]