The Carrier: What if you could pay someone else to feel your grief, with author Ruth Newton

Link to Pre Order: Tackling Gender Bias in The Healthcare System. What Patient stories Teach Us About Implementing Systemic Change:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tackling-Gender-Bias-Healthcare-System/dp/1805018817

Series 16 Finale: Book Club Special with Ruth Newton, author of The Carrier

For our series finale, we're doing something a little different: a book club special. We're joined by Ruth Newton, writer, campaign producer, and author of the best-selling debut novel The Carrier, a dystopian story where women absorb other people's pain as a form of labour.

The Carrier has already picked up serious recognition: longlisted for BPA's First Novel Award, shortlisted for the Hodderscape x The Science Museum Debut Science Fiction Award, and winner of the Jericho Writers' Friday Night Live competition.

In this episode we talk to Ruth about how much of the real world shaped the invented society of Eudaimonia, why she chose to make her protagonist Vivian a true believer rather than a sceptic from the start, and why every carrier in the book is deliberately a woman. We get into the visceral extraction mechanism at the heart of the story, the role men play in the resistance and what it says about allyship, and where The Carrier sits on the spectrum between cautionary tale and reflection of something already happening. We also ask Ruth about Vivian's traumatic awakening, whether her tipping point changed during the writing process, and what she most wants readers, particularly women, to sit with once they've turned the final page.

We also discuss our favourite reads of the year so far, and there’s something in there for everyone!

Stick around for some beautiful inspiration to carry you through the week.

The first women only trail race in Switzerland - SWISS WOMEN’S TRAIL, 1st edition on September 12, 2026

Switzerland’s first women-only trail is a 100% women-focused event designed as a gateway to mixed-gender trail races and long-distance formats.

The SWISS WOMEN’S TRAIL aims to address challenges by providing a competitive, demanding, and supportive environment tailored to women’s specific needs.

Two accessible race distances will be offered: 19 km with 750 m elevation gain and 38 km race with 1,400m elevation gain.