Chichester lecturer unveils intriguing new memoir

A University of Chichester lecturer, Suzanne Joinson, has shared her experiences of growing up in a 1980s cult, The Divine Light Mission, as part of her new memoir. The Museum of Lost and Fragile Things, which is published by Indigo Press on Thursday 5 September, sheds light on a religious organisation which didn't want its members to have possessions. Forced to give away the things she held dear as a child, years later Suzanne 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.

Suzanne said: "I am very happy that The Museum of Lost and Fragile Things is being published by The Indigo Press who have been wonderfully supportive. I have enjoyed teaching autobiography and life writing with creative writing students at the University of Chichester. Responses from readers so far have been positive. It was a complicated story to tell, but it seems to resonate with people and I couldn't be more pleased."

Suzanne will join author Tracy King in a discussion at the prestigious Cheltenham Literature Festival on Sunday 6 October to discuss the role that religion played in both their upbringings. Full details of the event can be found at https://www.cheltenhamfestivals.org/events/remembering-hardship-and-faith

The 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. Lily Dunn praised the book describing it as 'The best evocation of complex mother-daughter relationships I have ever read', while Jen Calleja called it 'Riveting, sad…triumphant'.

Suzanne lectures in memoir and autobiography at the University of Chichester and is the author of two novels, A Lady Cyclist's Guide to Kashgar and The Photographer's Wife. Her books are translated into fourteen languages and she was a National Bestseller in the US. She has been published in The New York Times, the Guardian, and Conde Nast Traveller.