When Sullivan Met Lola | Monica McInerney in Conversation
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Lola Quinlan is eighty-six. If her time on earth is running out, she’s not leaving quietly. Against the wishes of her family in South Australia, she’s flying solo to Melbourne for a week. They think she’s in search of distraction and entertainment. The truth is, she’s chasing an elusive dream.
Sullivan Farrington is twelve years old. His life in Melbourne has turned upside down. His mother is in hospital, hiding a secret. His father lives on the other side of the world. School is a battleground. But Sullivan is no ordinary boy. He’s set himself a series of goals to turn his life around.
In a hotel beside the Botanic Gardens, Lola and Sullivan meet. When Lola’s fierce passion for people and stories teams up with Sullivan’s curiosity and brilliance, they discover that a friendship can bloom – magically – just when it is needed most.
What they don’t know yet is the wonder that’s about to unfold – or the emotional reckoning that will follow.
From one of Australia’s most beloved authors comes an inspiring and heartwarming story that celebrates all that makes life worth living and the extraordinary power of everyday acts of kindness.
One of the stars of Australian fiction, Monica is the author of 13 internationally bestselling books for adults, including most recently The Godmothers, shortlisted for the 2021 ABIA General Fiction Book of the Year, and her first children's book, Marcie Gill and the Caravan Park Cat. Monica grew up in a family of seven children in the Clare Valley of South Australia. She and her Irish husband have been living between Australia and Ireland for thirty years. They currently live in Dublin.
Monica will be in conversation with Meg Bignell. Meg was a nurse and a weather presenter on the telly before she surrendered to a persistent desire to write. She is the author of four novels and one non-fiction book. Her third novel, The Angry Women’s Choir, won the People’s Choice Award for fiction at the 2025 Tasmanian Literary Awards. She has written and performed in short films, cabaret shows and a musical. She lives on the east coast of Tasmania with her husband, three children, one dog and about a thousand cows.
Join Monica and Meg at the Afterword Cafe.