Fourth Estate has bought a literary debut at auction as part of a two-book deal.

Commissioning editor Anna Kelly acquired UK and Commonwealth rights to Foxlowe and one other novel by Eleanor Wasserberg from Ed Wilson at Johnson & Alcock.

Foxlowe tells the story of two sisters, Green and Blue, who grow up in a commune in a crumbling country house in the Staffordshire moorlands.

Kelly said: “Steeped in atmosphere and tension, this is a terrifying drama about superstition, group mentality, betrayal and childhood trauma, with the claustrophobic oppressiveness of Room and the gothic imagination of Shirley Jackson.”

Wasserberg said: “I'm tremendously excited to be working with Anna. She understood the world of Foxlowe immediately, and right from our early discussions her insights into the characters made me feel certain that the novel had found the perfect home.”

Wilson said: “The most any agent can hope is to connect an exciting young writer with a diligent and gifted editor – Eleanor will thrive under Anna’s tutelage at Fourth Estate, and Foxlowe is sure to be one of the stand-out books of summer 2016.”

Fourth Estate will publish Foxlowe in June 2016.

Wasserberg is a graduate of the creative writing MA at the University of East Anglia.

• rights
• Fourth Estate
• Anna Kelly
• Eleanor Wasserberg
• Ed Wilson
• Johnson & Alcock