Set over one weekend in the life of a sixty-six year-old man and tackling themes of parenthood, race, identity and loneliness, Ashley Hickson-Lovence’s About to Fall Apart is a thrilling kaleidoscope of thoughts, failures, disappointments and hope told in one dazzling paragraph.

Ashley will be joining us in Stockport on Wednesday 15th April to discuss his work with Andrew McMillan (Pity) and the talk will be followed by an audience Q&A and book signing.

Tickets are £5.00 each or £12.99 including a copy of About to Fall Apart. Light refreshments are included in the ticket price.

Event starts at 6:30pm (doors at 6pm)

About the Book:

This is the story of one man’s weekend, a weekend in which everything could change

These lines could change everything /
He sips more of his tinny /
Imagines a new life

Aidy’s just punched a co-worker, but he hasn’t got time to deal with the fallout. With a deadline fast looming he must get home, knuckle down and finish the story he’s been working on, a story he hasn’t been able to stop thinking about. It’s the story of a falling plane and of a grieving mother.

Set across one weekend, About to Fall Apart is the exhilarating story of a man of mixed heritage – living on the Irish border – as he tries to stay positive, reconnect with his children and maybe, even, find his own birth mother.

“Poignant and tender, About to Fall Apart is a novel that pulses with compassion for its characters and brio in its prose” – Ferdia Lennon (Glorious Exploits)

About the Author:

Ashley Hickson-Lovence was born in London in 1991 and is a former secondary school English teacher. He earned his PhD in Creative and Critical Writing at the University of East Anglia and lecturered Creative Writing at the Arts University Bournemouth. He is the author of the poetry collection Why I Am Not a Bus Driver, the acclaimed novels The 392 and Your Show, and the 2024 prize-winning YA novel in verse Wild East.

Andrew McMillan was born in Barnsley in 1988. His debut collection of poetry, physical, was ‘the sort of once-in-a-generation debut that causes everyone to sit up and take notice’ according to Sarah Crown. His debut novel Pity ws released in 2024. He is professor of contemporary writing at Manchester Metropolitan University and a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.