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AN EVENING WITH TESS WOODS

Name: AN EVENING WITH TESS WOODS
Start: 2026-09-01T18:30:00+09:30
End: 2026-09-01T18:30:00+09:30
Location: St Peters Banquet Hall

About

An evening with Tess Woods in conversation with Clare Connelly

A sweeping story of sisterhood, love and defiance, The Cairo Bridal Shop by Tess Woods blends family drama, romance, politics and the stories of the ancient pharaohs to create an unforgettable portrait of modern Egypt. The novel follows three sisters bound by their late mother’s bridal shop and by the lives they are fighting to claim. Sarah longs for a child while trapped in a crumbling marriage, Aya risks everything to save the man she loves from political imprisonment, and Lola grapples with her identity in a society where being herself could cost her everything. As pressure mounts from family, culture and the state, the sisters must navigate impossible choices — and hold on to each other through it all. Deeply personal, The Cairo Bridal Shop draws on Tess’s early childhood in Egypt and her family’s migration to Australia in 1979, a decision shaped by political instability and fears for their safety during a volatile period in the Middle East. It is also inspired by her beloved grandmother, a bridal dressmaker who rebuilt her life in Australia. The novel stands as a love letter to her grandmother and to Egypt, honouring both its beauty and its contradictions.

Tess is the author of the breakout novel The Venice Hotel, which achieved significant commercial success, hit #3 in the Australian Fiction chart in its first week, was shortlisted for the ABIA General Fiction Book of the Year and made the top ten in the Better Reading Top 100 for 2025. The novel marked a major turning point in Tess’s career, taking her from an under-the-radar author to a bestseller.

Join Dillons Bookshop and Norwood Payneham and St Peters Library for this exciting event.

Copies of The Cairo Bridal Shop will be available for purchase on the night. Tess will be signing copies of her book after the event.