The HYFYV Book & Supper Club with Sarvat Hasin

That's the idea behind the HYFYV Book & Supper Club. A cosy evening for people who love books, delicious food and great conversation. And because the author will be there too, you can ask every question you have about the characters, plot and choices that went into the book.

Join us on 24th June for a three-course Pakistani supper and an intimate conversation with award-winning author Sarvat Hasin about her new novel, Strange Girls.

WHAT’S THE CONCEPT?

There’s nothing better than sitting around a shared table discussing a book you’ve just read. Unless perhaps a mouth-watering menu is involved.

And as the author of the book is there too, you can ask them every last question about the themes, the twists and the story behind the book.

That’s the idea behind the HYFYV Book & Supper Club. We’re going to meet every couple of months to have a good chat about a new book, with the author at the table and a menu that changes each time, to reflect the book or theme.

You don’t have to join anything and you can dip in and out as you please. You don’t technically even have to have read the book, but it will make it more fun if you do. And to be honest, you’ll probably want to. It’s a banger.

WHAT TO EXPECT AT THE HYFYV BOOK & SUPPER CLUB

We will gather over dinner at Spike Island for a relaxed but curated evening. You can expect:

• Author in conversation with How You Find Your Voice’s Jessie Huth
• Audience questions and open discussion
• Shared tables with prompts (to use or to ignore.)
• A seasonal menu inspired by the book’s setting or the author.
• The chance to meet other book loving guests
• Limited space to keep the evening intimate
• No pressure to perform: you are very welcome to simply come, listen and enjoy the atmosphere.

WHO IT IS FOR

This evening is for readers who love thoughtful conversation, aspiring writers curious about process, and anyone who likes great books, food and conversation.

BOOK & SUPPER CLUB: SARVAT HASIN and STRANGE GIRLS

For the second Book & Supper Club we have the brilliant author, Sarvat Hasin at the table, talking about her latest novel, Strange Girls.

What happens to a love story that has nowhere to go? And who has the right to tell it?

Strange Girls is a story about female friendship, creative ambition and the complicated emotions that can exist between admiration and rivalry.

The book follows two young women, Ava and Aliyah, who meet at university and become deeply entwined in one another’s lives. Their friendship is creative, admiring and competitive all at once. It is the kind of relationship that changes who you are forever.

*A ‘Most Anticipated Book of 2026’ as selected by DAZED, THE NEW ARAB and LITHUB*

‘Touching, infuriating and painfully true, Strange Girls is a superlative novel by one of our most perceptive writers. Sarvat Hasin is an artist whose work demands to be read.’ Julia Armfield

‘Simply sublime-about that feverish, feral first finding of true friendship that becomes all-encompassing and reforms who you are.’ Kiran Milwood Hargrave

ABOUT SARVAT HASIN

Sarvat Hasin is a novelist and dramaturg from Pakistan. She has an MA in Creative Writing from the University of Oxford. Her first novel, This Wide Night, was published by Penguin India and longlisted for the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature. Her second book You Can't Go Home Again was published in 2018 and featured in Vogue India's and The Hindu's best of the year lists. Her third novel, The Giant Dark (Dialogue Books, Hachette UK) won the Mo Siewcharran Prize was shortlisted for the RSL Encore Award. She lives in London.

ABOUT THE BOOK: STRANGE GIRLS

From award-winning author Sarvat Hasin comes a stunning novel about creativity, longing and all the words left unsaid. What happens to a love story that has nowhere to go, and who has the right to tell it?

A decade has passed since Ava spoke to Aliya. Aliya has everything Ava wants – a room of her own and a publishing deal – and, worse, the thing Ava was certain neither of them had ever wanted: a sensible doctor husband. Arriving back in London for a mutual friend’s hen party, Ava is desperate to unpack the truth of their shared history and what they meant to each other.

Aliya and Ava first met in the halls of their historic campus with dreams built upon Emily Brontë, Brideshead Revisited and Richard Curtis films. Their connection was electric. They created a world of their own through the stories they wrote, influencing and borrowing from each other’s work. But when the end of university loomed, the real world began to pull them in opposite directions. Was their bond ever truly as strong as they thought? And what would become of the stories they told themselves about each other?

Weaving together their past and present, Strange Girls is an ingenious exploration of the ties forged in the intensity of youth, and the scars left when they break.

AND NOW FOR THE FOOD...

ABOUT OUR CHEF, SHONA GRAHAM

We are thrilled to be working with Shona Graham on the HYFYV Book & Supper Club. Shona is a Bristol based hospitality professional, producer and community organiser working across food, culture and events. She is the owner of Emmeline Cafe and the founder of FODA Food Festival and The Anti Banquet, projects known for bringing people together through thoughtful and socially conscious food experiences.

Alongside this, she is Operations Manager at Team Canteen CIC, supporting grassroots food and community organisations through catering and partnerships rooted in social responsibility. Across all of her work, Shona is committed to food justice, sustainability and strengthening local food networks.

THE MENU

A three-course supper inspired by the flavours of Pakistan, echoing the world of the novel and the roots of both its author and one of the protagonists. Menu to be revealed soon.

Dietary requirements can be accommodated. Please note when booking.

TIMINGS

6.30 pm - Arrival, drinks and mingling

7pm - First course served

7.15pm - In conversation with Sarvat Hasin

7.30 pm - Main course served

8.10 pm - Audience Q& A (continues over dessert)

8.15pm - Dessert served

8.40pm - Booksigning and mingling

9pm - Ends

TICKETS

Spaces are intentionally limited to keep the evening intimate.

Early Bird

£35 - Supper and event

Standard release

£40- Supper and event

Your ticket includes a three course supper and a drink on arrival.

BUYING THE BOOK

Attendees of the HYFYV Book & Supper Club will receive a 20% discount from Storysmith. Books can be collected from their book shop, or postage can be arranged with them.

You can buy your discounted book here.

ABOUT HOW YOU FIND YOUR VOICE

How You Find Your Voice (HYFYV) is a Bristol-based cultural project that brings people together to think, speak and create more freely.

Through live events, conversations, a podcast and gatherings, HYFYV explores creativity, identity and the messy process of finding your voice. The work centres women’s voices and many of the guests and contributors are women, though anyone curious about the conversation is welcome.

The project is curated and hosted by Jessie Huth, who previously co-founded and ran the literary events series 5x15 Bristol for over a decade and is now developing a new programme of salons, author conversations and cultural events across the city.

You can find out more about the project and join the mailing list for future events

Follow along on Instagram: @howyoufindyourvoice

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