Secret Book Swap | No. 11 - North Berwick April
Books we swapped:
All’s Well – Mona Awad
A theatre professor struggling with chronic pain becomes consumed by a surreal production of All’s Well That Ends Well. Strange encounters and increasingly blurred realities turn this darkly funny novel into a feverish exploration of suffering, ambition and the stories we tell ourselves to survive.Geek Love – Katherine Dunn
In a travelling carnival family where children are deliberately bred for unusual traits, daughter Oly recounts a life shaped by spectacle, devotion and manipulation. Disturbing, inventive and unforgettable, this cult classic explores identity, power and the hunger to belong.The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry – Rachel Joyce
When Harold sets out to post a letter, he keeps walking—believing his journey might save a dying friend. Gentle and quietly profound, this novel explores grief, hope and the unexpected power of small acts.Maid in Mon Rose – Zena May
Set behind the closed doors of a suburban brothel, this gritty novel follows the women whose lives intersect there through secrecy, survival and difficult choices. Compassionate and unflinching, it explores vulnerability, resilience and the hidden realities beneath ordinary streets.The Glass Woman – Caroline Lea
A young woman moves to a remote Icelandic village to marry a widower whose first wife died under mysterious circumstances. Atmospheric and haunting, this gothic historical novel blends isolation, superstition and suspense against a stark Arctic landscape.Orbital – Samantha Harvey
Six astronauts on a space station orbiting Earth reflect on their lives, planet and purpose in this contemplative, poetic novel. Set over the course of a single day, it’s a moving meditation on time, fragility and what it means to be human.Strong Female Character – Fern Brady
Comedian Fern Brady reflects on growing up autistic without knowing it, navigating relationships, work and identity in a world that constantly misunderstood her. Sharp, funny and deeply honest, this memoir examines masking, self-discovery and finally being seen clearly.Here Comes the Fun – Ben Aitken
Ben Aitken sets out to rediscover joy through a year of deliberately pursuing pleasure, silliness and connection. Wry and uplifting, this memoir explores happiness, modern pressures and the importance of making room for fun in adult life.A Vengeful Harvest – Lesley Conyngham
A murder in a rural farming community uncovers long-held grudges and dangerous secrets beneath the surface of village life. Atmospheric and tense, this crime novel combines classic mystery with sharp observations of family and power.The Keeper of Stories – Sally Page
Cleaner Janice collects fragments of other people’s lives while believing her own story is unimportant. Warm and quietly moving, this novel celebrates ordinary lives, hidden loneliness and the healing power of being listened to.My Own Little Personal Armageddon – Gillian Lee Gibson
Darkly comic and emotionally raw, this novel follows a woman whose carefully balanced life begins to spiral into chaos. With humour and vulnerability, Gibson explores anxiety, identity and the exhausting pressure of holding everything together.
Heather Darwent
Guest writer, Jayne Castel
Heather is a writer based in East Lothian. Originally from Yorkshire, she studied History of Art at the University of Edinburgh before pursuing fiction. Her debut novel The Things We Do To Our Friends was a Sunday Times bestseller and earned critical acclaim.
Her second novel, A Sharp Scratch, was published in 2025, confirming her as an exciting new voice in contemporary fiction.
The Things We Do To Our Friends
The Things We Do To Our Friends is an intoxicating debut set in Edinburgh, where a moody city of hidden corners and buried history becomes the perfect backdrop for reinvention.
When outsider Clare arrives at university, she is drawn into an alluring, exclusive circle of art history students whose lives promise everything she longs for. But as ambition, obsession and secrecy take hold, friendships begin to darken, and Clare finds herself pulled into something far more dangerous than she ever imagined.
Banned Book Reading
In April, our banned books discussion moved to Canada, looking at an ongoing case in Alberta around the removal of graphic novels from school libraries.
The story began last year after concerns were raised about sexually explicit content in some books available in schools. What followed was a series of reviews, policy changes and removals across multiple school boards, with over 200 titles initially flagged in at least one district before the guidance was revised. More recently, just over 100 graphic novel titles have been removed or restricted across five school boards while reviews continue.
What made the discussion particularly interesting was the question of how age is handled in schools. Critics pointed out that children aged four and teenagers nearing adulthood don’t attend the same schools or use the same libraries, and that many of the books involved including Heartstopper, The Handmaid’s Tale, 1984 and A Game of Thrones: The Graphic Novel were already intended for older readers.
We also spoke about the reality of “temporary” removals. While many of the books are still under review rather than permanently banned, the process has now been ongoing for months, meaning access has effectively disappeared for long periods of time.
As with last month’s discussion in Manchester, we found ourselves returning to the same questions: who gets to decide what’s appropriate to read, how should those decisions be made, and what happens while those decisions are still being worked out?
For our reading, we chose Heartstopper by Alice Oseman, which had come up in both our March and April discussions.
Join us at future secret book swaps: