At Sea: An Evening with Yassmin Abdel-Magied

An evening with Yassmin Abdel-Magied in conversation about her debut adult novel At Sea, presented in partnership with Kensington Book Club.
About this Event

Drawing on her experience working as a mechanical engineer and drilling specialist across Europe, Australia, Asia and the United States, Yassmin Abdel-Magied brings extraordinary authenticity and tension to this sharp and atmospheric novel.

At Sea marks an exciting new chapter in the work of one of today’s most compelling public voices.

Being one of the boys was one thing. Being the boss of the boys was something else altogether.

Zainab, an expert driller, is called to take charge of a high-stakes oil rig operation. Unable to resist the opportunity, she leaves behind her pregnant sister and heads offshore for the job of her life. But there is a catch: the rig is teetering on the edge of disaster, and Zainab is the only woman among a crew of hardened men who want nothing to do with her.

At the helm but forced to prove herself at every turn, Zainab works to uncover the truth behind the rig's imminent collapse. As tensions rise, she begins to realise that the real danger may not only be mechanical failure, but the cold calculations, power struggles and buried desires of those around her.

As secrets surface and pressure builds, Zainab races against time to prevent catastrophe - on the rig and within the crew itself.

Explosive and thought-provoking, At Sea is a gripping novel about ambition, prejudice, and the cost of survival when every decision comes under pressure.

Yassmin Abdel-Magied is a Sudanese writer, broadcaster and a former mechanical engineer whose work spans teen fiction, memoir, journalism and children’s literature. Her writing explores identity, displacement, justice and the complexities of belonging, informed by a career that has taken her from coal mines in rural Australia to oil rigs across the world. Yassmin is currently a writer on Emmerdale, and her original drama series Cruise Control is in development with the BBC. She is the creator of eyesonsudan.net and adviser on the sudandigitalarchive.com and passionate about the civilian movement in Sudan and the celebration and amplification of Sudanese culture. In all her work, Yassmin is an advocate for transformative justice and a fairer, safer world for all.

This is a fantastic opportunity to hear Yassmin discuss the real-world experiences and ideas that shaped At Sea and the storytelling behind her first novel for adult readers.