Robin Dembroff’s new book is part feminist critique, part philosophical intervention, and part invitation to rethink the way we understand ourselves.

In honour of finishing my 430th book ever read, I am bringing you a recommendation today: Blood Drunk by Ben Shepherd, which comes out this month.

August 29th, 2026: McEwan Hall, Edinburgh. Kiran Desai had not published a book in 20 years. Of the 5000 pages which sputtered out of the printer in a first draft, the nearly 700 pages of The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny which careened out in stealth were worth the wait. Desai was looking, hunting, for some ‘sign of life’.

I think I may have just read one of the books that will become a classic of our century, up there with Sally Rooney, Kazuo Ishiguro, and Elena Ferrante.

I was lucky enough to be on the guest-list for she’s green on the 4th of September. Having been to the venue before, I was familiar with its ambient lighting and cozy layout — an atmosphere that only set the mood for the dreamy performances by the opener and the main act.