Chris Kohler – Phantom Limb

We're thrilled to welcome Chris Kohler to the bookshop to discuss his debut novel, Phantom Limb. It's a wild, funny, holy relic of a novel about the creation myths of Scotland and the colossal loss of faith and meaning of modern society. Kohler will be in conversation with writer and bookseller Calum Barnes.

This event will take place in the bookshop with an in-person audience. There will be a signing after the event.

Vouchers can be redeemed on the night of the event against a single copy of Phantom Limb – we will have a list of attendees with vouchers to be redeemed. Please note that only one voucher can be redeemed per book.

About Phantom Limb:

One evening, Gillis - a young Scottish minister who technically doesn't believe in god - falls into a hole left by a recently dug up elm tree and discovers an ancient disembodied hand in the soil. He's about to rebury it when the hand... beckons to him. He spirits it back to his manse and gives it pen and paper, whereupon it begins to doodle scratchy and anarchic visions.

Somewhere, in the hand's deep history, there lies a story of the Scottish reformation, of art and violence, and of its owner long since dead. But for Gillis, there lies only opportunity: to reinvent himself as a prophet, proclaim the hand a miracle and use it for reasons both sacred and profane... to impress his ex-girlfriend, and to lead himself and his country out of inertia and into a dynamic, glorious future.

Phantom Limb is the spiritual counterpart to novels such as Nicola Barker's Darkmans, Kevin Barry's Beatlebone and Benjamin Myers's Cuddy and the stunning baptism of a new, original writer, Chris Kohler.