In Conversation with Abigail Johnson (Drop-in)

Join us at Stratford Library in conversation with Abigail Johnson as we talk about her latest book, The Secret Collector. This event is part of Stratford Library's Local Interest Coffee Mornings (find out more about them here).

The Secret Collector

When an elderly eccentric collector and a troubled teen become each other's only hope of getting their lives back on track, what can possibly go wrong?

Alfred is an elderly widower who uses antiques and collectibles to fill the hole in his heart left by his late wife. Kian is a lost teen who has been let down by the care system and finds it difficult staying on the straight and narrow.

After Kian throws a brick through Alfred's window, the shock sends Alfred to hospital and a social worker to his home, where his hoarding becomes impossible to ignore.

Begrudgingly, and at the request of the authorities, they both agree to enrol Kian on a restorative justice programme, helping to make Alfred’s home liveable again. The only problem: Alfred doesn't want to throw any of his treasures away, and he certainly doesn’t want Kian for company.

What unfolds is a surprising and delightful journey of two characters who help each other more than they ever could have anticipated and, along the way, form the unlikeliest of friendships.

About the author

Abigail Johnson is an author from Birmingham whose stories have been longlisted for the
Bath Novel Award and Exeter Novel Award and shortlisted for the 2021 Edinburgh Flash
Fiction Award. She was also a Friday Night Live finalist at the Festival of Writing in York.
She decided she loved writing when she won a Kit Kat as first prize for a creative writing
competition at primary school. She has a degree in English Literature, works in
communications and PR and volunteers teaching creative writing to children. She is currently writing her second novel, still fuelled by chocolate covered wafers. She lives with her husband, two sons and a cocker spaniel.

Refreshments provided. There will be copies of Abigail Johnson's book for sale at the event

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