Elizabeth Gilbert in conversation with Rayya Elias

Elizabeth Gilbert is famous for her self-discovery memoir, Eat, Pray Love – the international bestseller that became a travel phenomenon, a Hollywood movie and an inspiration to women the world over.

But before she was a poster-girl for finding yourself through travel, she was a much-praised novelist and a National Book Award winner, with four books under her belt. Her first novel in 13 years, The Signature of All Things – a wildly imaginative literary page-turner – has met with a rapturous critical reception. The Guardian’s Elizabeth Day called it ‘quite simply one of the best novels I have read in years’.

The Signature of All Things tells the story of scientific trailblazer Alma Whittaker, a woman of the Enlightenment Age who stands defiantly on the cusp of the modern. Though her passion for botany and brilliant career are her driving force, she is disappointed in love. While Alma’s careful studies of moss take her deeper into the mysteries of evolution, the man she comes to love draws her in the opposite direction.

Elizabeth Gilbert appears at the Frankston Arts Centre, in conversation with one of her closest friends, author and musician Rayya Elias, who will also perform songs from the soundtrack to her book Harley Loco. The following night sees Elizabeth in conversation with Caroline Baum at Federation Square, both unmissable opportunities to catch one of the world’s most popular writers.