Picador scoops Niamh Mulvey’s Patricia Highsmith-inspired novel

Picador has bought Niamh Mulvey’s Patricia Highsmith-inspired "extraordinary" novel, described as "not a whodunnit, or a howdunnit, but a whydunnit and a who-knows-whodunnit".

Sophie Jonathan, publishing director for the Pan Macmillan imprint, acquired world rights including audio to Mother Made Me from Sallyanne Sweeney at International Creative Agency. Picador will publish the novel in 2027.

The book follows 60-year-old crime writer Pat, who is at her wits’ end after her mother ruined her life with her unceasing cruelty and self-obsession, which looks like it is never going to stop. The synopsis adds: "At an event in Paris to celebrate Pat’s literary achievements, Mother can’t resist bringing about another humiliation, and so Pat decides to take drastic action."

Months later, inspired by the new turn her life has taken, Pat decides to write a memoir – a book about Mother. As she writes, Pat "struggles to determine the truth of her past, and to separate Mother’s insistent voice in her head from her own thoughts, she is forced to reckon with a terrible question: was Mother right all along?"
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