Tom's Book Club

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1. M John Harrison on The End of Everything

   3 november 2026 · 28 min

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   M. John Harrison joins Tom’s Book Club to discuss The End of Everything, his unsettling, darkly satirical novel shortlisted for the 2026 Booker Prize. Lees meer

   Set in a world where government barely functions, Europe has been mislaid and strange new creatures inhabit the seas, the novel follows Phillip Tennent, a beachcomber who makes his living collecting artefacts washed ashore. But when he discovers something he cannot keep, he must take it inland, with potentially catastrophic consequences. Blending literary fiction, science fiction and dark humour, The End of Everything explores a world that no longer makes sense, and the limits of what we can ever truly understand.

   In this conversation, M. John Harrison discusses the origins of the novel, the influence of the 2008 financial crisis, and how he developed its strange and unsettling world. We explore the mysterious iGhetti, the novel’s playful references to technology and consumer culture, and the different interpretations readers bring to a story that resists easy explanation. Harrison also talks about the influence of film on his writing, the challenge of balancing the extraordinary with the mundane and which of his books readers should explore next.

   📚 Buy books discussed on the podcast through the Tom’s Book Club Bookshop.org page: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/TomsBookClub

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2. Min Jin Lee on American Hagwon

   27 oktober 2026 · 24 min

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   Min Jin Lee, the bestselling author of Pachinko, joins Tom’s Book Club to discuss American Hagwon, her epic new novel about family, education, immigration and the sacrifices parents make for their children. Already a bestseller in the UK and US, American Hagwon follows the Koh family across continents and generations, from Seoul to Sydney and California, as they search for a better future. Lees meer

   In this conversation, Min Jin Lee explores why education carries such enormous importance in Korean culture, the pressures placed on children to succeed, and whether parents can find a balance between ambition and their children’s happiness.

   Min Jin Lee also talks about her meticulous research, developing complex characters, and how writing fiction can help us understand other people’s perspectives. She reflects on her journey from corporate law to becoming a novelist, the decade-long process of writing American Hagwon, and why she writes.

   If you enjoy literary fiction, family sagas, contemporary Korean literature, Pachinko, and conversations about books and the ideas behind them, listen to this episode of Tom’s Book Club.

   📚 Buy books discussed on the podcast through the Tom’s Book Club Bookshop.org page: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/TomsBookClub

   Tom’s Book Club may earn a small commission from purchases made through our Bookshop.org link, at no extra cost to you.

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3. Luke Kennard on Black Bag

   20 oktober 2026 · 38 min

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   Luke Kennard joins Tom’s Book Club to discuss Black Bag, his offbeat novel shortlisted for the 2026 Booker Prize. A penniless actor takes a job wearing an oversized black bag as part of a university experiment, with unexpected consequences for love, friendship and the possibility of turning the whole thing into a business. Lees meer

   We discuss the novel’s exploration of masculinity, the real-life experiment that inspired the story and how writing in the first person unlocked something new for him.

   A conversation about contemporary fiction, the creative process and the absurdities of being human.

   📚 Buy books discussed on the podcast through the Tom’s Book Club Bookshop.org page: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/TomsBookClub

   Tom’s Book Club may earn a small commission from purchases made through our Bookshop.org link, at no extra cost to you.

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4. Roddy Doyle on A Ghostly Little Book

   13 oktober 2026 · 37 min

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   Roddy Doyle joins Tom’s Book Club to talk about A Ghostly Little Book, a new collection of contemporary ghost stories from five acclaimed writers. Lees meer

   Ghost stories have fascinated writers for centuries, from Edgar Allan Poe and Charles Dickens to Shirley Jackson and Toni Morrison. In A Ghostly Little Book, Roddy Doyle is joined by Olga Ravn, Eliza Clark, Tom Crewe and Helen Oyeyemi, each offering a different take on what a ghost story can be — from strange and unsettling to funny, moving and genuinely frightening.

   In this conversation, Roddy Doyle discusses where his story came from, what makes a great ghost story and the difference between writing a short story and a novel.

   We recorded the conversation the day after the 2026 Booker Prize shortlist was announced, giving us the chance to look back at Roddy's experience as Chair of the Booker Prize judges in 2025. He talks about the experience of reading so many novels as a judge, how it changed the way he reads, and what it was like returning to the Booker Prize more than 30 years after winning it himself.

   Roddy Doyle won the Booker Prize in 1993 for Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha and is the author of thirteen novels, as well as books for children, plays and screenplays.

   If you're interested in Roddy Doyle, A Ghostly Little Book, ghost stories, Irish literature, the Booker Prize, contemporary fiction, short stories, writing and the creative process, this episode offers an in-depth conversation with one of Ireland's most celebrated writers.

   A Ghostly Little Book is out now.

   📚 Buy books discussed on the podcast through the Tom’s Book Club Bookshop.org page: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/TomsBookClub

   Tom’s Book Club may earn a small commission from purchases made through our Bookshop.org link, at no extra cost to you.

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5. Hernan Diaz on Ply

   6 oktober 2026 · 34 min

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   Hernan Diaz joins Tom’s Book Club to talk about Ply, his new novel set centuries in the future. Diaz is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Trust, which won the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Lees meer

   In Ply, an orphan grows up to become a “pincher”, someone who steals electricity from the grid to sell on the black market. When she finds herself being followed, she is drawn into a mystery involving a groundbreaking experiment that could change the fabric of reality.

   In this conversation, Diaz discusses the origins of Ply, creating its distinctive future world and why he doesn't consider it simply a dystopian or post-apocalyptic novel. He talks about technology, what it means to be human, as well as the research behind the novel, including his time at CERN and its influence on the book's physics.

   Diaz also discusses the importance of music to his writing, his decision to write longhand with a fountain pen, and what winning the Pulitzer Prize for Trust changed about his life and work.

   If you’re interested in Hernan Diaz, Ply, Trust, science fiction, literary fiction, technology, writing and the future, this episode offers an in-depth conversation with one of contemporary literature’s most acclaimed authors.

   📚 Buy books discussed on the podcast through the Tom’s Book Club Bookshop.org page: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/TomsBookClub

   Tom’s Book Club may earn a small commission from purchases made through our Bookshop.org link, at no extra cost to you.

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6. John Boyne on The Weight of Angels

   29 september 2026 · 22 min

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   John Boyne joins Tom’s Book Club to talk about his new novel, The Weight of Angels, an imaginative reworking of the life of Oscar Wilde that asks what might have happened if Wilde had made a different decision at a crucial moment in his life. Lees meer

   In February 1895, the Marquess of Queensberry left his infamous calling card at the Albemarle Club, accusing Wilde of being a “posing Somdomite”. Wilde chose to sue for libel, setting in motion the events that would lead to his arrest, imprisonment, public disgrace and eventual death in Paris.

   But what if he had simply ignored the card?

   In The Weight of Angels, John Boyne imagines an alternative life for Oscar Wilde — one in which he avoids the court case and lives on into the twentieth century, encountering figures including Winston Churchill, Virginia Woolf, George Bernard Shaw, Emmeline Pankhurst and Rudyard Kipling.

   In this conversation, John Boyne discusses the challenge of recreating Oscar Wilde’s distinctive voice, writing historical fiction, and how he decided which real people and events to bring into Wilde’s imagined life. He talks about Wilde’s wit, fatherhood, and the complicated relationship between writers and the literary world. Boyne also reflects on his own writing career and what he has learned about writing after decades as a novelist.

   John Boyne is the author of 16 novels, including The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, The Heart’s Invisible Furies, the Elements Quartet and The Weight of Angels.

   📚 Buy books discussed on the podcast through the Tom’s Book Club Bookshop.org page: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/TomsBookClub

   Tom’s Book Club may earn a small commission from purchases made through our Bookshop.org link, at no extra cost to you.

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7. Louise Kennedy on Stations

   24 september 2026 · 26 min

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   Louise Kennedy joins Tom’s Book Club to talk about her new novel, Stations, a powerful story of friendship, love, family and the long shadows cast by the choices we make when we are young. Lees meer

   Set between Ireland in the 1980s and London, Stations follows Róisín McCaffrey, a teenage girl who becomes fascinated by Red, a sharp, intelligent and troubled boy who quickly becomes her closest friend. When Red leaves Ireland for London, Róisín eventually follows him, finding herself drawn into a complicated relationship that will continue to shape both their lives for decades.

   In this conversation, Louise Kennedy discusses where Stations came from, the return of Róisín - who first appeared in her short story Belladonna - and the challenge of writing characters whose lives unfold over many years. She talks about adolescence, the importance of London to the novel, and how memories from her own life found their way into the story.

   Louise also reflects on family relationships, writing across different periods of a character’s life, and her journey from a nearly 30-year career as a chef to becoming an award-winning novelist.

   Louise Kennedy is the author of Trespasses, which won the British Book Award for Debut Fiction, and was shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction. Her short-story collection, The End of the World Is a Cul de Sac, won the John McGahern Prize.

   📚 Buy books discussed on the podcast through the Tom’s Book Club Bookshop.org page: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/TomsBookClub

   Tom’s Book Club may earn a small commission from purchases made through our Bookshop.org link, at no extra cost to you.

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8. Isabel Allende on Storytelling: A Masterclass in Crafting Stories

   22 september 2026 · 25 min

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   Isabel Allende joins Tom’s Book Club to talk about Storytelling: A Masterclass in Crafting Stories, her guide to the art and craft of writing after more than 50 years as a writer. Lees meer

   One of the world’s most widely read and celebrated authors, Allende is best known for The House of the Spirits, her acclaimed debut novel, as well as books including City of the Beasts, Paula and A Long Petal of the Sea. Her work has sold more than 77 million copies worldwide and been translated into more than 40 languages.

   In Storytelling, Allende draws on decades of experience as a writer to explore where stories come from, how characters develop, finding your voice, overcoming fear and what makes a story emotionally powerful.

   In this conversation, she discusses the lessons she has learned throughout her writing career and what she has discovered about storytelling after more than two dozen novels.

   If you’re interested in Isabel Allende, creative writing, writing advice, novel writing, storytelling, literary fiction, character development or the writing process, this episode offers an unusually personal insight into the craft from one of contemporary literature’s most accomplished authors.

   📚 Buy books discussed on the podcast through the Tom’s Book Club Bookshop.org page: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/TomsBookClub

   Tom’s Book Club may earn a small commission from purchases made through our Bookshop.org link, at no extra cost to you.

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9. Derek Owusu on The Recovery House

   17 september 2026 · 23 min

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   Derek Owusu joins Tom’s Book Club to discuss his powerful new novel, The Recovery House — a moving and darkly funny story about mental health, creativity, faith, friendship and finding a way back to yourself. Lees meer

   Jamal is a gifted young writer who wakes in a recovery house after a devastating mental breakdown. Surrounded by other patients dealing with their own struggles, he begins to find unexpected friendship, humour and connection. As music, literature and spirituality become ways of making sense of his experiences, the boundaries between illness, inspiration, God and madness begin to blur.

   Derek discusses how much, or how little, of his own experiences made it into the book, as well as the role of humour, the importance of music - including The Cranberries’ Zombie - his relationship with faith, discovering reading in his twenties, and how he unexpectedly became a writer.

   📚 Buy books discussed on the podcast through the Tom’s Book Club Bookshop.org page: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/TomsBookClub

   Tom’s Book Club may earn a small commission from purchases made through our Bookshop.org link, at no extra cost to you.

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10. Emily St. John Mandel on Exit Party

    15 september 2026 · 25 min

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    Emily St. John Mandel joins Tom’s Book Club to discuss her new novel, Exit Party, a gripping and unsettling novel about parallel worlds, political division, surveillance, freedom, art and the possibility of a different future. Lees meer

    Set in 2031, Exit Party takes us to an America at war with itself, where the Republic of California has declared independence and a seemingly ordinary party in Los Angeles becomes increasingly strange. Ari, recently released from prison, finds herself caught between different versions of reality, before the novel opens up into a second America where many of society’s greatest problems have been solved - but at the cost of constant surveillance and conformity.

    Emily talks about where the novel began and the challenge of creating two radically different versions of America. We discuss the book’s exploration of militias, civil conflict and the ways people become accustomed to extraordinary circumstances.

    We also talk about Ari, a character Emily first introduced in The Singer’s Gun, the novel’s shifting perspectives and experimental structure; and how form, doubling and parallel worlds allow Emily to explore different versions of reality.

    Emily also discusses the role of art and creativity in Exit Party, the connections between this novel and her wider body of work, and the recurring characters and ideas that link her novels together.

    Tom’s Book Club is an independent books podcast featuring conversations with contemporary authors about their books, writing and creative process.

    📚 Buy books discussed on the podcast through the Tom’s Book Club Bookshop.org page: https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/TomsBookClub

    Tom’s Book Club may earn a small commission from purchases made through our Bookshop.org link, at no extra cost to you.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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