We are thrilled to announce that this year’s Merton Big Read is:
Without Warning and Only Sometimes by Kit de Waal.
‘Extraordinary… De Waal has a gift for the deft detail that will bring a story of character alive.’
– The Sunday Times
Win a Signed Copy!
Once you’ve read it, fill in our form for the chance to WIN a signed copy of Kit’s new novel, The Best of Everything!
FILL IN THE FORMKit de Waal
Merton Big Read
The Merton Big Read is a shared reading scheme, run in partnership with Merton Libraries and funded by Arts Council England, which aims to connect the local community through books and stories.
Documenting her experience growing up in 1960s Birmingham, Without Warning and Only Sometimes is a story of an extraordinary childhood and how a girl who grew up in a house where the Bible was the only book on offer went on to discover a love of reading that inspires her to this day.
It is a dynamic and effervescent memoir that follows Kit and her siblings in their upbringing of extremes, between an Irish mother who was a devout Jehovah’s Witness and their Caribbean father, exploring universal themes of family, identity and belonging with wit and humanity.
Despite her first novel being published less than 10 years ago, Kit de Waal has become a multi-award-winning writer. Her debut novel, My Name is Leon, was shortlisted for the Costa Award and has been adapted for screen. Kit is also the Chair of Judges for the 2025 Women’s Prize for Fiction and an active advocate for working-class writers, establishing a Creative Writing Scholarship for writers from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Five hundred copies of the book will be available through libraries and community groups across Merton, so be sure to pick up your copy and get reading. Click here for the chance to WIN a signed copy of Kit’s highly anticipated new novel, The Best of Everything.
And when you’re done, pass it on – share your copy with friends, family, neighbours – we want the whole community to get involved!