Jacqueline Wilson

Join Dame Jacqueline Wilson in conversation with a leading host for a night of nostalgia and stories.

Every ticket comes with a copy of PICTURE IMPERFECT, the long-awaited sequel to The Illustrated Mum for adult readers. 

We’ll be taking you back to 1999, where Dolphin ‘Dol’ Westward lives with her half-sister, 13-year-old Star and their mother, Marigold. Dol LOVES that Marigold stands out with her bright hair and head-to-toe tattoos. But her sister, Star, feels differently.

Marigold may look great, but living with her unpredictable, fiery moods can be hard. After Marigold has a breakdown, Dolphin starts to wonder...is she the right person to be looking after her?

Fast forward to 2025…  Dolphin Westward spent her childhood as the supporting character in the story of her beautiful, wild, volatile mother Marigold. Now thirty-three, she’s painfully aware that not much has changed. She lives in a tiny flat, works in a tattoo shop by day and collects her illustrated mum from police stations by night.

Dol yearns to climb out of the rut she is stuck in, but has no idea where to begin. Could gardener Lee and his daughter Ava be her chance for a wholesome family life? Or maybe a steamy romance with roguish actor Joel is just what she needs. And what about the offer from her sister Star, now a successful doctor, to move to Scotland and live with her young family?

As the choices threaten to overwhelm her, will Dol fall into the role of extra in someone else’s story once again – or find the strength to forge a brand new path of her own?