Bring the house down, by Charlotte Runcie

Welcome back to our English-speaking book club! This event is free and open to everyone! All you need to do is read the book and share your reflections and feelings about it with the group!

This month's pick is : "Bring the house down", by Charlotte Runcie.

The Book

Theatre critic Alex Lyons made his name from his brutal, brilliant reviews.

So when he sees Hayley Sinclair's dismal one-woman show at the Edinburgh Fringe, he thinks nothing of dashing off another of his trademark one-star pans for the newspaper. He also thinks nothing of taking her home after the performance, failing at any point to mention who he is.

What he doesn't expect is for Hayley to revamp her show into a review of Alex's entire life, exposing what an awful person he really is. Worse, the show is a smash hit, and Alex is about to become national news. But can Hayley bring the establishment down without taking herself with it?

The Author

Charlotte Runcie is a British writer, critic, and journalist. She is known for her thoughtful cultural commentary and essays on literature, feminism, and modern relationships. Runcie has written for publications including The Daily Telegraph, The Guardian, and The Times Literary Supplement. Her work often combines close emotional observation with intellectual clarity, exploring intimacy, power, and identity in contemporary life. She is the author of the novel Salt on Your Tongue (2023), which was widely praised for its sharp prose and nuanced portrayal of love and obsession.