The Museum of Lost and Fragile Things

Overview

From the bestselling author of A Lady Cyclist's Guide to Kashgar comes an extraordinary memoir of growing up in a cult

Suzanne Joinson grew up in a 1980s council estate in Crewe, where her parents were followers of The Divine Light Mission cult. This clash of class and counterculture destroyed her family, leaving a legacy of turmoil and poverty.

Years later, she attempts to reclaim what she’s lost and piece together the impact of a childhood infused with esoteric yoga practices, psychedelic encounters, and meditation techniques. She acquires replicas of beloved objects that had to be destroyed in regular purges in the hope of restoring family ties.

Museum of Lost and Fragile Things explores the realm of mother-daughter relationships and inherited trauma, in a moving, delicately-woven account of coming to terms with a complicated past.

Reviews

"There’s such a lot to say about this book; Joinson’s evocation of a northern working class childhood, a life lived inside a cult and an adult struggle to understand those identities in a way that is truthful to her own experience and makes careful room for the perspective of others was something I could really personally connect with." — Jenn Ashworth, author of Ghosted: A Love Story 

‘A gripping portrait of a life, a relationship, a mind as it stretches and stretches.’ — Dr Noreen Masud, author of A Flat Place

Praise for A Lady Cyclist's Guide to Kashgar:

"An astonishing epic - colonial-era travel combined with a modern meditation on where we belong and how we connect in the world - I could not put it down." —Helen Simonson, bestselling author of Major Pettigrew's Last Stand

"A haunting, original, and beautifully written tale that conveys a sense of profound alienation and of other realities." —Paul Torday, bestselling author of Salmon Fishing in the Yemen

"Present and past meld into an exploration of conflicting traditions in an impressive debut.... An intriguing window into the difficulties of those who attempt to reach across cultural barriers." —Publishers Weekly

"Beautifully written in language too taut, piercing, and smartly observed to be called lyrical, this atmospheric first novel immediately engages, nicely reminding us that odd twists of fate sometimes aren't that odd. Highly recommended." —Library Journal, starred review

"This complex and involving historical novel examines the idea of home, the consequences of exile, the connection between mother and daughter, and the power dynamics of sexual relationships." —Booklist

Praise for A Photographer's Wife:

"Sheer beauty stalks the empty spaces of this stubborn, lyrical novel." - Editor's Choice, New York Times Book Review

"Atmospheric, romantic, yet refreshingly acerbic--Joinson's timely portrayal of the difficult relationships between different cultures is rivaled by her heartbreaking delineation of the fragile relationships between individuals." - starred review, Kirkus Reviews

"Historical fiction at its most pleasurable." - Library Journal

"An intriguing father-daughter story, with an Atonement-esque exploration of the differences between child and adult understanding." - BookPage

Author Biography

Suzanne Joinson is the author of two critically acclaimed novels, The Photographer’s Wife and the bestseller A Lady Cyclist’s Guide to Kashgar. Her books are translated into fourteen languages. Suzanne won the New Writing Ventures Award, was longlisted for the IMPAC International Literary Fiction Award, and is a member of the Folio Academy. She has been published in The New York Times, the Guardian, and Conde Nast Traveller.