Suzanne Joinson grew up in a 1980s council estate in Crewe, where her parents were followers of The Divine Light Mission cult. This clash of class and counterculture destroyed her family, leaving a legacy of turmoil and poverty.
Years later, she attempts to reclaim what she’s lost and piece together the impact of a childhood infused with esoteric yoga practices, psychedelic encounters, and meditation techniques. She acquires replicas of beloved objects that had to be destroyed in regular purges in the hope of restoring family ties.
The Museum of Lost and Fragile Things explores the realm of mother-daughter relationships and inherited trauma, in a moving, delicately-woven account of coming to terms with a complicated past.
Praise
‘A fascinating memorial to a complicated, traumatic childhood and its long aftermath.’
— Rebecca Stott, TLS
‘Tender, sharp and finally as moving as it is unflinching.’
— Andrew Hussey, New Statesman
‘Surprising and persuasive.’
— The Telegraph
‘A complicated story told expertly with glassy clarity.’
— Good Housekeeping
‘Compelling stuff!’
— Meath Chronicle
‘Inspiring and heart breaking. The best evocation of complex mother, daughter relationships I have ever read.’
— Lily Dunn, author of Sins of my Father: A Daughter, A Cult, A Wild Unravelling
‘A gripping portrait of a life, a relationship, a mind as it stretches and stretches.’
— Dr Noreen Masud, author of A Flat Place
‘A powerful portrait illustrating the dark side to hippy subcultures, it questions whether mind control can lead a mind to run wild. Joinson’s intimate portrayal of her ceaseless yearning to rescue and reconcile her loved ones from the mistakes of the past is gripping and moving. This is a beautifully written testament to mercy. It is everything those who have been left with nothing are looking for: to feel seen.’
— Jade Angeles Fitton, author of Hermit: A memoir of finding freedom in a wild place
‘Joinson’s memoir is a kind of reverse excavation where she hunts down objects to then bury them through her generous prose. Her hunt for material proof of a past that constantly shifts and slips is riveting, sad, but in many ways triumphant.’
— Jen Calleja, author of I’m Afraid That’s All We’ve Got Time For
‘In this beautifully crafted book Suzanne Joinson excavates a troubled past through everyday objects that hold stories and hide secrets. It’s both gripping and heartbreaking – I was hooked from the first page and it has stayed with me long after turning the last.’
— Lulah Ellender, author of Grounding and Elizabeth’s Lists
‘Another childhood lived in the shadow of someone else’s dream; and an exquisite attempt, to piece its fragments back together.’
— Suzanne Heywood, author of Wavewalker: Breaking Free
‘Suzanne Joinson’s memoir opens up worlds within worlds, delicately sketching the precarious line between too much truth and not enough truth. This is a beautiful book. It is worth your precious time.’
— Stella Duffy, author of Lullaby Beach
‘There’s such a lot to say about this book; Joinson’s evocation of a northern working class childhood, a life lived inside a cult and an adult struggle to understand those identities in a way that is truthful to her own experience and makes careful room for the perspective of others was something I could really personally connect with.’
— Jenn Ashworth, author of Ghosted: A Love Story
‘Growing up with parents in The Divine Light Mission cult, Suzanne Joinson opens a curtain on a rare world, a strange world, a world in which people and places are not what they seem. In this deeply moving and intimate memoir, The Museum of Lost and Fragile Things asks the big, universal questions: what makes a family, what is it to care for others, what is the power of words? The book collects missing pieces from Joinson’s childhood, gathering items once discarded by her family. So, aptly, there’s an extraordinary tactile quality to the writing and a joy in the ephemera of life: letters written on torn notepaper, curling edges of photographs, a tiny glass dolphin, secret diary entries. Graceful and clear-sighted, the memoir skillfully holds the complex, contradictory emotions of Joinson’s experiences: fury and compassion, fear and friendship, loneliness and sheer delight.’
— Gemma Seltzer, author of Ways of Living
‘A compelling, brilliantly constructed and emotionally devastating read.’
— Alinah Azadeh, writer and artist
‘A fearless and timely account of how the familiar shades into the unfamiliar, and how power shades into vulnerability. Unsettling and unforgettable, Joinson’s story speaks profoundly of the distortion and redemption of everyday things, which sparkle with strangeness in her hands.’
— Tamarin Norwood, author of The Song of the Whole Wide World: On Grief, Motherhood & Poetry
‘This is a truly profound and surprising book, layered with sorrows and insights, and beautifully structured around the everyday items that hold relationships together and sometimes break families apart.’
— Professor Annebella Pollen, Brighton University
‘Explores class and wealth, or lack of it, really well . . . This book was fascinating to me.’
— Elizabeth Chakrabarty, author of Lessons in Love and Other Crimes
‘A moving and unforgettable read that will break your heart with its pure honesty. Suzanne Joinson’s book is a powerful and unsettling reminder of the tenderness of the human spirit and how love and loyalty can triumph in difficult times.’
— Cara Dillon, Northern Irish folk singer and author of Coming Home
‘In this haunting, elegantly written memoir, a writer looks back on a childhood lived at the knife-edge of existentialism, caught between the adults in her life, who will sacrifice everything to their predatory cult leader in exchange for promises of transcendence and immortality, and the oppressive norms of Thatcher-era Britain. Joinson powerfully evokes the sublime terror, beauty, and magic of girlhood, and audits complicated family bonds and rifts with stunning tenderness and clarity.’
— May-Lan Tan, author of Things to Make and Break
