Sophie, Standing There with Meg Mason
Thu 10 Sep 2026
7:00pm at Bath Elim Church, Charlotte St, Bath BA1 2ND
Book + Ticket gives you 1 ticket with a copy of the book included, all tickets include 15% off any books purchased on the night, and author talk, and signing.
Other ways to book:
Email books@mrbsemporium.com, call 01225 331155 or pop into the shop at 14-15 John Street, Bath. BA1 2JL.
We couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome author Meg Mason all the way from Australia, to celebrate the release of new novel, Sophie, Standing There.
From the award-winning, bestselling author of Sorrow and Bliss comes an achingly tender, poignant, funny and bittersweet new novel. Hilariously candid and raw, Sophie, Standing There is a bittersweet story of love, loneliness and finding connection in the most unlikely of places.
Can’t make it to the event? Order a signed and dedicated copy here
About the book:
Sophie Pattison is a lovely person – warm, kind, relentlessly positive. She’s cherished by her brother Laurie, adored by her best friend Emma and valued by her colleagues. Sometimes, it’s true, one day in her life can feel like the entire month of January. It’s also true she can go an entire day without speaking. But she’s fine really. She spends her time alone reading, finding comfort in the pages of the books she devours.
Until one day she stumbles upon an author she hasn’t read in years. Her books, interviews and podcasts soon become a lifeline; every word is a solace, company she hasn’t felt in so long. It’s almost like love.
A lot like love. And Sophie would love to meet the author, although she never will obviously. In a way, thank goodness, because that would change everything. Sophie’s entire life. Wouldn’t it?
Hilariously candid and raw, Sophie, Standing There is a bittersweet story of love, loneliness and finding connection in the most unlikely of places.
‘So smart, so funny, so moving. I absolutely loved it’ – BONNIE GARMUS
‘A moving examination of what it means to be alone in the world, and what it means to find connection. It is, by turns, heartbreaking, hilarious, and deeply hopeful. Meg Mason is a dazzling talent’ – ANN PATCHETT
‘Heartwarming, tender and so funny, Sophie, Standing There is a wonderful, bittersweet story of what it means to be truly, achingly lonely. I loved it‘ – GILLIAN ANDERSON
About the author:
Meg Mason is the author of You Be Mother and Sorrow and Bliss, which became an international bestseller after it was published in 2021. Winner of the British Book Industry Book of the Year, and shortlisted for the Women’s Prize, it has since been translated into twenty-five languages. Her first career was in journalism, beginning at The Times of London, and later writing for Vogue, Elle, GQ, and humour for the New Yorker‘s Daily Shouts. Born in New Zealand, she lives in Sydney with her husband and two daughters. Her third novel, Sophie, Standing There, will be published in 2026.