BOOK OF THE WEEK: Cells by Gavin McCrea

Damian Barr's Literary Salon

It’s our final Book of the Week episode of the season before we take a little break and return next year with more undiscovered gems. But before we go, we want to bring your attention to an incredibly powerful memoir by critically acclaimed author Gavin McCrea, entitled Cells: Memories for My Mother,

The author of Mrs Engels and The Sisters Mao unspools an intimate story of feeling out of place in the insular suburb in which he grew up, the homophobic bullying he suffered at school, his brother’s mental illness and drug addiction, his father’s sudden death, his own devastating diagnosis, his struggles and triumphs as a writer, and above all, his relationship with his mother. 

Published by independent press, Scribe, we cannot wait for you to read Gavin’s accomplished new book (and is especially perfect for fans of Seán Hewitt’s All Down Darkness Wide). We recommend buying a copy from your local indie bookshop or you can visit our shop on Bookshop.org.

Podcast produced and edited by Megan Bay Dorman

Programmed by Matt Casbourne

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes and get the latest updates.

Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada