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What is home?
It’s a question that has troubled Marchelle Farrell for her entire life. A longed-for career in psychiatry saw her leave behind the pristine beaches and emerald hills of Trinidad. Until, disillusioned, she uprooted again, this time for the peaceful English countryside.
The only Black woman in her village, Marchelle hopes to grow a new life. But when a worldwide pandemic and a global racial reckoning collide, the upheaval of colonialism that has led her to this place begins to be unearthed.
Is this really home? And can she ever feel truly grounded here? Marchelle looks to her garden for answers. As her relationship with the land on her doorstep deepens, she discovers that her two conflicting identities are far more intertwined than she had realised.
Full of hope and healing, this talk is about finding home where we least expect it, and how we can reconnect to the land – and ourselves.
Marchelle’s book 'Uprooting' will be available to purchase at the Festival book store over the Festival weekend.
There will be a book signing straight after the event.
Published by Canongate.
Reviews:
“A beautiful memoir that shows how gardens can be a place to plant our most troubled feelings, to put down roots and to find peace.” - Katherine May.
”Uprooting is a potent hymn to the importance of home and a deeply thoughtful offering on what our gardens can be." - Alice Vincent.
“Glistening … Not since Braiding Sweetgrass have I folded over so many pages; this book will change how we speak of gardens, land and identity in myriad ways. Never shying away from subject matter both raw and unsettling, Farrell speaks of bodies and motherhood; race and grief; privilege and the past – in ways I have not encountered before. An exquisite love letter [and] a rallying call." - Irish Times
About Marchelle Farrell:
Marchelle is a therapist, writer and amateur gardener. Born in Trinidad and Tobago, she has spent the last twenty years attempting to become hardy in the UK. She has trained and worked as a consultant psychiatrist and psychotherapist. When not neglecting it for the care of her young children, or her work in the community, Marchelle spends much of her time getting to know her country garden in Somerset and writing about the things the garden teaches her about herself. Her debut 'Uprooting' won the Nan Shepherd Prize.
Image copyright: Richard Grassie
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