Our book group is open to all. Attend every meeting, occasionally or just once a lifetime. All we ask is that you read the book in advance and take part in the discussion. There’s a short introduction by a member of staff or a group regular or someone we know with a special interest in the book in question.

Often cited as one of the great novels of twentieth-century American fiction, Carson McCullers’ first novel was published when she was just twenty-three. Set in a small town in the middle of the deep South, it is the story of John Singer, a lonely deaf-mute, and a disparate group of people who are drawn towards his kind, sympathetic nature. The owner of the café where Singer eats every day, a young girl desperate to grow up, an angry socialist drunkard, a frustrated black doctor: each pours their heart out to Singer, their silent confidant, and he in turn changes their disenchanted lives in ways the could never imagine. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter explores loneliness, the need for understanding and the search for love.

Free, refreshments provided.

Copies of the book are available from the bookshop, but can be borrowed from libraries or bought from other bookshops!