14 Sep

19:30

Centrale Bibliotheek, DOK B

Spui 68, The Hague

Join the Queer Book Club to discuss 'Bad Habit' by Alana S. Portero, a novel set in 1980s-90s Madrid.

Queer Book Club: Bad Habit

The queer book club is a space where like-minded people come to read and discuss works by queer authors. Whether these works are classics of queer literature, or novels that were recently published, and whether we read stories about coming out, falling in love, or surviving bigotry, at the queer book club there is always space for thoughtful discussions and sharing personal experiences.

Are you looking for a queer space in which you can be yourself and share experiences and stories with others? Are you looking for a place where you can discuss queer literature? Then the queer book club is the place for you.

This Book club will be hosted by Looi van Kessel, assistant professor in literary studies and gender studies at Leiden University, who specializes in LGBTQIA+ literature. The sessions will be held in English.

Book for this session

Alana S. Portero - Bad Habit (2023)

Set against the heroin epidemic that ravaged Madrid in the 1980s and the citys vibrant party scene that dominated its nightlife in the 1990s, Bad Habit follows Porteros unnamed protagonist as she grows up in a blue-collar suburb that has no place for her. Forging ahead, she discovers community and kinship in downtown Madrid, amid a lively party scene animated by junkies, pop divas, and fallen angels. But with each step she takes forward, she finds herself confronted by a violence she does not yet know how to counter; in this exciting, often terrifying, world each choice can truly be a matter of life and death.