On Saturday, November 29, 2025 – Another Story Bookshop presents their inaugural meeting of the Toronto edition of the Violet Hour Book Club (VHBC), a reading and discussion group dedicated to exploring classic and contemporary 2S/LGBTQ+ literature. Their first book selection is What I Know About You.
A carefully planned life turned upside down by an impossible love
Written by Éric Chacour, What I Know About You (Coach House Books, 2024) is a heartbreaking tale of a family and an impossible love, torn apart by secrets and traditions in late 20th century Cairo.
As a boy in 1960s Cairo, Tarek knows that his entire life is written in advance. He’ll be a doctor like his father, marry and have children. Under the watchful eyes of his mother and his sister, he starts to do just that – until Ali enters his life and turns it upside down. The two men, from very different worlds, embark on an unsayable relationship that threatens to tear apart Tarek’s family. Years later, as Tarek is living a solitary life in Montreal, someone starts writing about him and to him, piecing together a past he wants only to forget. But who is the writer of this tale? And will he figure it out in time?
A bestseller in its original Quebec edition (published by Éditions Alto), the book was the recipient of several awards, including the Prix Femina des Lycéens, and was long-listed for Canada Reads 2025. It was translated into English by Pablo Strauss.
About Éric Chacour
Born in Montreal to Egyptian parents, Éric Chacour has shared his life between France and Quebec. A graduate in applied economics and international relations, he now works in the financial sector in Montreal. What I Know About You is his first novel.
“This novel is a searing love story that moves between Egypt and Montréal, that shifts between hearts, highlighting the sacrifices the characters feel they have to make for the ones they love. Romantic, surprising, mesmerizing, and so devastating, What I Know About You examines the terrible costs of family secrets and toxic shame.”
– Suzette Mayr, author of The Sleeping Car Porter
VHBC Toronto Edition’s inaugural event will be hosted by author and Violet Hour Book Club founder Christopher DiRaddo.
About Violet Hour Book Club (VHBC)
Founded in Montreal in 2018 by author Christopher DiRaddo, VHBC has become an important gathering space for queer book lovers in the city, fostering meaningful connections through a shared appreciation of foundational classics and bold, contemporary voices. The club provides an inclusive environment for lively, thought-provoking conversations on books, literary culture and the craft of storytelling – cultivating dialogue that is both intellectually stimulating and deeply personal. Everyone is welcome.
About Christopher DiRaddo
Christopher DiRaddo is the author of The Family Way, which was shortlisted for the F.G. Bressani Literary Prize, and The Geography of Pluto. His writing has appeared in the anthology First Person Queer, The Globe and Mail, and in both volumes of Here & Now: An Anthology of Queer Italian-Canadian Writing, among other publications. In 2014, he founded the Violet Hour Literary Series & Book Club, an initiative that has to date supported over 300 LGBTQ writers across Canada.
About Another Story Bookshop
Founded by the late social justice activist Sheila Koffman, Another Story Bookshop is an independent bookstore located in Toronto’s Roncesvalles neighbourhood. The shop specializes in books about social justice by and about culturally diverse and marginalized figures – including 2SLGBTQ+ and Indigenous people – in particular for young readers.
(Photo credits: Another Story Bookshop / Coach House Books.)
Event details
Hosted by: Another Story Bookshop
Type of event: book club event
Book club host: Christopher DiRaddo
Featured book: What I Know About You, by Éric Chacour, translated into English by Pablo Strauss
Date: Saturday, November 29, 2025
Start time: 6:00 PM ET
Duration: 2 hours
Cost: Free – registration required (see booking link below)
Location: Another Story Bookshop, 315 Roncesvalles Ave., Toronto, ON, M6R 2M6
Booking link: Book your spot here.
Contact details: Another Story Bookshop, 315 Roncesvalles Ave., Toronto, ON, M6R 2M6, Canada; (416) 462-1104, books@anotherstory.ca, anotherstory.ca
Accessibility: It’s a storefront shop, located on the ground floor. Please contact the shop for details: (416) 462-1104, books@anotherstory.ca.