Elspeth Wilson - These Mortal Bodies
WithElspeth Wilson
In conversation withHeather Darwent
On:17th July 2025, 7:00pm - 8:00pm
Attendance options:
We're excited that Elspeth Wilson is coming to the bookshop to celebrate the publication day launch of her debut novel, These Mortal Bodies. A richly atmospheric campus novel perfect for fans of The Secret History and dark academia, These Mortal Bodies is an intoxicating story of obsession, infatuation and toxic friendship in the world of the elites, where rules are made to be broken.
Wilson will be in conversation with fellow writer Heather Darwent.
This event will take place in the bookshop with an in-person audience, as well as a livestream for attendees watching from home. There will be a signing after the event.
In-person vouchers can be redeemed on the night of the event against a single copy of These Mortal Bodies – we will have a list of attendees with vouchers to be redeemed. Please note that only one voucher can be redeemed per book. Livestream vouchers are valid until the day after the event and can be redeemed on our website against a single copy of These Mortal Bodies.
About These Mortal Bodies:
I’m ready to be part of something bigger, I told myself, whispering the words over and over, visualizing myself at the centre of things, never alone again.
Leaving behind her childhood in coastal Scotland, neurodivergent Ivy Graveson arrives at a prestigious university and throws herself into the deep end of life on campus.
Though her fellow students all seem to come from money and to have known each other their whole lives, outsider Ivy is determined to belong. She embraces the world of secret societies, and as she discovers the legacy of her college, the parallels between its past and her present become striking. Because however hard she tries to ignore it, Ivy has always felt one with water and her own personal talisman, a heron, is never far away.
In just one life-changing year in these hallowed halls, Ivy will have to decide how much sisterhood means to her and how far she’ll go to become the person she was destined to be.
Please note: Tickets for our events are non-refundable. Professional photography and videography may take place during this event. Thank you for your understanding.
Participants:
Elspeth Wilson Author
Elspeth Wilson is a creative writer and facilitator working across poetry and prose, whose work has been shortlisted for the Nan Shepherd Prize and the Penguin Write Now scheme. She works on making writing more accessible and co-founded the Writing Happiness project with Rachel Lewis, a writing course for D/deaf, disabled and/or neurodivergent writers.
Heather Darwent Chair
Heather Darwent is based just outside of Edinburgh, the setting for her Sunday Times bestselling debut, The Things We Do To Our Friends. Originally from Yorkshire, she came to Scotland to study at the University of Edinburgh and ended up never quite leaving. When she’s not writing, you’ll find her reading chaotic non-fiction about Silicon Valley and swimming in the sea . . . or being unbearably boring in conversation about swimming in the sea. A Sharp Scratch is her second novel.
The venue
The Portobello Bookshop
46 Portobello High Street
Edinburgh
EH15 1DA
Telephone: 0131 629 6756
Website: www.theportobellobookshop.com
Wheelchair Access
We have a ramp at the front of the shop which has a ratio of 1:10 and loading capacity of 300kg, and so should be able to be used by most wheelchair users or those with mobility vehicles. The front doors are fully automated. Our shop interior is designed to allow access throughout for wheelchair users and prams, though please note there is only 700mm wide clearance to access the staff toilet.
Sound
We use a PA system to enhance the audio at our live events. We also have a hearing loop system installed, if you’d like to use our loop system during an event please let us know and we’ll make sure we have it set up and connected to the live audio feed during the event. If you wish to attend an event and require BSL interpretation, please give us a few weeks notice and we’ll do our best to arrange an interpreter.