"Middle Spoon" Book Launch with Author Alejandro Varela

Schedule

Tue Oct 14 2025 at 07:00 pm to 08:30 pm

UTC-04:00

Location

The Head & The Hand Books | Philadelphia, PA

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Alejandro Varela & Joseph Earl Thomas will discuss MIDDLE SPOON, a witty & original novel about queer love & unorthodox family.
About this Event

Join us at H&H Books on Tuesday, Oct. 14 as we welcome authors Alejandro Varela and Joseph Earl Thomas to celebrate Alejandro's new novel, MIDDLE SPOON. An audience Q&A and book signing will follow their reading and discussion.

Read on for more details!

About the Book:

"Dear Ben,

I wouldn't have thought it possible for me at this age and at this otherwise fruitful moment in my life to plumb a new low."

So begins MIDDLE SPOON, a one-sided epistolary novel in which our narrator (happily married, adorable kids, comfortable life in Brooklyn, etc.) has just been unceremoniously, abruptly dumped by his young, hot boyfriend. He spirals into first-time heartbreak and must confront a world still struggling to understand polyamorous relationships. MIDDLE SPOON skewers the unspoken rules we still live by--from taboos around intimacy to the shortcomings of Oscar season, pop culture, and gluten-free food--offering a surprising perspective on love, loss, and reinvention. Heart-wrenching and uproariously funny, this is a book for anyone who has longed, nursed a broken heart, or grappled with love at its messiest.

"A sly, analytical opera of the heart." - Andrew Sean Greer, LESS

"A gripping work of domestic fiction that freaks the emotional constraints of the genre." - Maya Binyam, HANGMAN

"Fiercely funny, intelligent, unhinged, and humane, [MIDDLE SPOON] stares right into the abyss with you, pointing out all there is still left to love."- Mira Jacob, GOOD TALK

Ready to read? will be available in-store at H&H Books beginning Sept. 9. You can also preorder a copy on our ecommerce site.

Joseph's books, and (both of which are H&H staff faves) are available now in-store and online. And you can read more about both authors' work on H&H's website.

Registration is highly recommended! Tickets are free, but an attendance count helps us organize our space and plan even more events for our community.

Email [email protected] with any questions and follow us @theheadandthehand on Instagram.

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Where is it happening?

The Head & The Hand Books, 2230 Frankford Avenue, Philadelphia, United States

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