Harvill to publish Julia Kelly's 'powerfully emotional' new novel

Harvill is set to publish Julia Kelly’s “powerfully emotional” new novel. Liz Foley, associate publishing director at Harvill, has acquired UK and Commonwealth rights to Painted Horses from Hellie Ogden at WME. North American rights have been sold to Carina Guiterman at Simon & Schuster. The novel will be published in March 2027.

The publisher described Painted Horses as “a captivating and heartbreaking novel that explores a coming-of-age love affair between two young women in Victorian England”. The novel follows a mother and daughter who arrive in a Victorian seaside town hiding a past they cannot reveal, “but as suspicions grow and the threat of discovery draws closer, daughter Martha is forced to confront her loyalties, her mother’s choices, and the true meaning of family”.

Foley said: “Hot on the heels of the announcement that Julia’s debut The Fisherman’s Gift is on the shortlist for the Authors’ Club Best First Novel Award, it’s wonderful to be announcing her second book. Her ability to create powerfully emotional reading experiences is unparalleled. Her exploration of the themes of otherness and disability are just as relevant today as in the Victorian setting of her brilliant novel.”

Kelly said: “I am so thrilled to be continuing to work with Liz and the whole team at Harvill, as well as Carina and everyone at Simon & Schuster, and excited they are all so enthusiastic about this novel. Painted Horses is a story about the radical act of loving each other, and  how we become who we really are in a world that doesn’t want to see us, let alone accept us.”