In Conversation: Imani Thompson and Krystle Zara Appiah

An evening with the authors Imani Thompson and Krystle Zara Appiah as we discuss their buzzy new novels Honey and Half-Lives.

Imani Thompson is a British writer with Jamaican heritage. During her time studying Sociology at Cambridge University she was published in The Mays and won the Vogue new writer’s prize. She wrote Honey while working as a bookseller at Daunt Books and is now working on her second novel. HONEY is a darkly comic novel about the sticky politics of race, sex, violence and love, but told through the eyes of a serial killer.The first time, Yrsa doesn’t intend to K*ll. But the Cambridge professor sitting opposite has manipulated her friend, stolen her research. When she flicks the bee into his Sanpellegrino, she thinks he’ll get a nasty sting. Then he’s dead. And Yrsa, who – let’s face it has been bored for a while, is alive. It’s a sweet feeling, finally having some control.

Krystle Zara Appiah is a British-Ghanaian writer, editor and screenwriter based in London. In 2020 she was one of forty writers selected for the London Library’s Emerging Writers Programme. Her debut novel, Rootless was highly acclaimed, with Krystle heralded as 'one of Britain's best new writers' by Harpers Bazaar. HALF LIVES is a beautiful, almost unbearably moving portrayal of the bond between two sisters and an earth-shattering decision that comes between them. Growing up in 1970s Ghana, sisters Evelyn and Maggie make a promise: one day they will escape to America, and start a new life together. When Evelyn marries Gus, a wealthy surgeon who already lives in New York, she quickly falls pregnant. Meanwhile, Maggie realises she is also expecting, but is terrified to become an unmarried teenage mother. When a terrible accident causes Evelyn to lose her unborn child, the answer seems simple, and Evelyn takes her sister’s unwanted baby to the States to raise as her own. But such an act has untold consequences for both sisters, and when one of them changes their mind, an impossible decision awaits.

"In Conversation" has grown into a remarkable event series at Afrori Books. Whether it’s a lively auditorium filled with hundreds or a cosy, intimate setting, these events offer a chance to engage with some of the brightest established and emerging authors and creatives from around the globe. These are one-of-a-kind opportunities to hear personal stories and experiences, shared with honesty and openness. At Afrori Books, we’re committed to providing a safe space for Black creatives to tell their stories in their own voices. We’d love for you to join the conversation.

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