Suzanne Joinson Books

In 1923, Evangeline (Eva) English and her sister Lizzie, fervent missionaries, journey to the ancient Silk Road city of Kashgar. While Lizzie is driven by her religious zeal, Eva's motivations are less altruistic; equipped with a green bicycle and a commission to write A Lady Cyclist's Guide to Kashgar, she seeks adventure. In present-day London, Frieda returns from abroad to find a man sleeping at her doorstep. She offers him a blanket, and the next morning discovers that he has left behind a beautifully folded bedding set, an exquisite drawing of a bird, delicate Arabic script, and a boat made of seagulls on her wall. The man, Tayeb, fleeing Yemen, befriends Frieda. When she learns of an inheritance from a deceased woman she doesn't know, they embark on an unexpected journey together. The narrative explores the tensions that arise when diverse traditions collide in an increasingly globalized world. With beautifully crafted prose and a cast of unforgettable characters, the stories of Frieda and Eva intertwine, revealing their connections and the ways they challenge societal constraints on their paths toward home. This debut novel showcases a remarkably talented new writer.

"In 1920s Jerusalem, civic advisor and architect Charles Ashton has an ambitious project to redesign the Holy City by importing English parks to the desert and knocking down Ottoman minarets. He employs William Harrington, a British pilot, to take aerial photographs of the city and surrounding desert. At this time, Palestine, under British administration, is a surprisingly peaceful mix of characters; British colonials, exiled Armenians, and Greek, Arab, and Jewish officials rub elbows, but tensions are growing and there are simmers of trouble ahead. Eleanora, the young English wife of a famous Jerusalem photographer, meets and falls for William Harrington, threatening her marriage, particularly when William discovers that Eleanora's husband is part of an underground nationalist group intent on removing the British. Years later, in 1937, Ashton's daughter Prue is an artist living a reclusive life in Shoreham, Sussex with her son, having escaped the pressures of the London art world in the aftermath of the Surrealist exhibitions and a damaging marriage. Harrington arrives and what he reveals unravels her world, and she must follow the threads that lead her back to secrets long-ago buried in Jerusalem."-- Author's website

The memoir explores the author's upbringing in a 1980s council estate in Crewe, shaped by her parents' involvement in The Divine Light Mission cult. This unique intersection of class struggles and countercultural beliefs led to significant family upheaval, resulting in lasting impacts of turmoil and poverty. Through personal reflection, the narrative delves into the complexities of identity and the consequences of radical beliefs on family dynamics.