Jonathan Cape snaps up Lizzy Stewart’s illustrated 'utopian dream' novel
Jonathan Cape will publish The Wreck by Lizzy Stewart, a "stunning" illustrated novel about "the utopian dream of communal living, class and confidence, and love and envy". World rights were acquired by publishing director Hannah Westland from Jane Finigan at Lutyens & Rubinstein.
Told through a blend of text and illustration, The Wreck follows two former friends Charlotte and Francesca. Once the best of friends at university in the mid-1970s, the two women have since drifted apart due to tensions beneath their natural affection, which deepened when Fran got together with Charlotte’s friend Adrian.
The synopsis reads: "Years later, when the women are in their 40s, Fran contacts Charlotte out of the blue with an unusual proposal – an invitation to live with her and Adrian in the rambling house they’ve bought in the countryside. Charlotte impulsively persuades her partner, Bill, to accept this tantalising promise of a new kind of community.
"At first their new life does feel utopian; life and space are shared joyfully. But it doesn’t take long for old tensions to rise to the surface, shattering their illusions and showing each of them in a new light."
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Westland said: "The Wreck is a genre-defying illustrated novel about the messy tangle of love, envy and desire that underpins our most precious relationships and the difficult paths we must take to discover our true selves. Lizzy Stewart is adored by literary and graphic novelists alike, as well as of course by readers and booksellers, and we know that this magnificent book will win her many more fans. We can’t wait to publish it."
Stewart said: "I’m so happy that The Wreck has found a home at Jonathan Cape! It’s such an honour to be given the space to explore what form a story might take through pictures and words – and having the support of Hannah Westland and her amazing team on top of that? A real treat!"
Lizzy Stewart writes and illustrates books for both children and adults. In 2017, her picture book There’s a Tiger in the Garden won the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize and a World Illustration Award. Her debut full-length graphic novel Alison was published in 2022.
The Wreck will be published on 9th April 2026.
