The Scottish Gallery Book Club - September 2021: The Light Jar by Lisa Thompson

It's our pleasure to be working in collaboration with The Scottish Gallery to help run The Scottish Gallery Book Club, a literary companion for their monthly event programming.

Each month, the accompanying book will be a complimentary selection for themes and ideas explored within the new exhibition. We invite you, as readers and appreciators of the arts, to read the book and feedback your thoughts to The Scottish Gallery in a direct message on Instagram. They will feature reader responses in their highlights or stories.

This month, we have selected titles to accompany The Scottish Gallery's exhibition Form & Light (running from the 2nd to 25th September 2021). This exhibition marks the sculptor Oliver Cook’s first solo exhibition with The Gallery, and involves Cook's sculptural works exploring the relationship between light, movement and the translucent properties of alabaster.

Our selections for the September 2021 Book Club are Territory of Light by Yuko Tsushima & The Light Jar by Lisa Thompson.

The Light Jar by Lisa Thompson:

A boy and his mother, on the run and desperate, hide away in a run down cottage in a dark forest. While his mother looks for provisions, Nate is left alone in the pitch black to stay safe - but when a mysterious girl arrives, he sets out on an adventure that brings light as his bravery grows. A heartful and beautiful book for children.

Territory of Light by Yuko Tsushima (this title can be purchased here):

The powerful story of a young woman, living alone in Tokyo with her two-year-old daughter. The novel is full of light, sometimes comforting and sometimes dangerous: sunlight streaming through windows, dappled light in the park, distant fireworks, dazzling floodwater, de-saturated streetlamps and mysterious explosions. A novel obsessed with light, yet far from lightweight.