The Holy Name Book Club is open to all members of the community, no matter what their age or religion, who enjoy reading fiction. We meet usually on the last Wednesday in the month, although this can change. The group meets at 7pm in the Church Hall on Towers Avenue.
If you wish to join the discussions, please email Fr Campion at welcome@holynamejesmond.co.uk. And please ensure you have read the book beforehand as the discussion is confined to the book, its plot, characterisation, narrative etc.
For our meeting on 4 November 2026 we will discuss Gabriel’s Moon by William Boyd:
In his most exhilarating novel yet, Britain’s greatest storyteller transports you from the vibrant streets of sixties London to the sun-soaked cobbles of Cadiz and the frosty squares of Warsaw, as an accidental spy is drawn into the shadows of espionage and obsession.
Gabriel Dax is a young man haunted by the memories of a every night, when sleep finally comes, he dreams about his childhood home in flames. His days are spent on the move as an acclaimed travel writer, capturing the changing landscapes in the grip of the Cold War. When he’s offered the chance to interview a political figure, his ambition leads him unwittingly into a web of duplicities and betrayals.
As Gabriel’s reluctant initiation takes hold, he is drawn deeper into the shadows. Falling under the spell of Faith Green, an enigmatic and ruthless MI6 handler, he becomes ‘her spy’, unable to resist her demands. But amid the peril, paranoia and passion consuming Gabriel’s new covert life, it will be the revelations closer to home that change the rest of his story. (goodreads.com)
You can read The Guardian review here.
Future Selections:
2 December – The One from the Other, Philip Kerr
27 January 2027 – The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store, James McBride
24 February – Magnificent Rebels, Andrea Wulf (non-fiction)
31 March – Absolutely and Forever, Rose Tremain