Granta Books pre-empts Lauren J Joseph's ‘endlessly surprising’ new novel
Granta Books has pre-empted St. Rita’s Day, the new novel by Lauren J Joseph. Editor Dan Bird acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from Rebecca Carter at Rebecca Carter Literary, with publication scheduled for summer 2027.
The novel’s blurb reads: “Sam is 27 and adrift, house-sitting in Highgate and mourning the loss of her grandmother, a renowned novelist and playwright. Without her, Sam is lonelier than ever. But that changes when she meets celebrated actress Penny Bryn.
“Despite a significant age gap and their wildly different backgrounds, an intimate and galvanising friendship blooms between them over the course of the summer. Until they learn, devastatingly too late, that this precious connection is built on a fundamental and ultimately tragic misreading.”
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Bird said: “I read Lauren’s novel the weekend before the London Book Fair. I fell for it immediately and the entire team at Granta soon followed suit. It’s wonderfully arch, full of heart and endlessly surprising, building to a startling, emotional denouement. Lauren is a rare talent and her treatment of gender and intergenerational friendship feels like a breath of fresh air. We couldn’t be more thrilled to be welcoming her to Granta with this remarkable new novel.”
Joseph, whose previous works include At Certain Points We Touch and Lean Cat, Savage Cat (Bloomsbury), said: “Granta’s list is the stuff of legend and it is a real pleasure to be joining it. I’m extremely grateful to Dan for his palpable passion for my writing and very excited to be working with this phenomenal team. I really couldn’t think of a better home for St. Rita’s Day.”
