SOLACE HOUSE: Will Maclean in conversation
Schedule
Tue May 12 2026 at 06:30 pm to 08:00 pm
UTC+01:00Location
Blackwell's Bookshop | Manchester, EN
About this Event
We are thrilled to welcome Will Maclean to Blackwell's to hear him discuss his genre-defying new novel Solace House with Martha Lewis.
Doors: 6.30pm, Starts: 6.45pm
Tickets are £4 or admission is free when purchasing a copy of the book in advance.
About Solace House:
Summer, 1993, and Alex Lane finds himself at the end of the University summer term, broke and without any concrete plans. So, when he’s offered the chance to join a group of students tasked with clearing out Solace House, a large Victorian residence left to the University by a reclusive hoarder called Flayne, he jumps at it. The other students are a mixed bunch, but Alex quickly falls into a close friendship with the mercurial, red-headed Ella.
At first the house seems to be an ordinary, if grandiose, property. But as the team begin sorting through piles of junk, they stumble upon Flayne’s journals in which he details his obsession with his missing mother, his discovery of a strange place called Bewise, and – most mysteriously – his belief in another realm lying parallel to ours, along with coded instructions on how it might be reached.
As the students continue to sort through the detritus, one of Alex’s companions becomes increasingly obsessed with the hidden secrets of Solace House, Flayne’s missing mother, and the possibility that, if only they can decipher Flayne’s increasingly unintelligible writings, they might gain knowledge beyond their wildest dreams. That is, assuming, they are willing to sacrifice everything.
About the author:
Will Maclean is a screenwriter who has worked worked with people as varied as Alexander Armstrong, Miranda Hart, Al Murray and Tracey Ullman. His first novel, The Apparition Phase, was shortlisted for The McKitterick Prize. He lives in London with his wife and young daughter.
If you cannot make the event but would like a dedicated copy of the book, please email [email protected] or call us on 0161 274 3331.
Our event format is usually a 45 minute discussion between the author and interviewer, followed by a chance for audience members to ask questions. There will be the opportunity to get your book signed/dedicated after the event. Events are a brilliant opportunity to discover new books, meet authors and likeminded readers and learn something new.
Support your local bookshop and help us keep the Manchester literary scene vibrant and exciting. You can follow us on Eventbrite and social media (@BlackwellsMCR) to keep up to date on upcoming events.
Where is it happening?
Blackwell's Bookshop, 146 Oxford Road, Manchester, United KingdomEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
GBP 4.00 to GBP 20.00
