Scribe snaps up McCrea’s memoir ahead of publication of his second novel, The Sisters Mao
The memoir, entitled Cells and due for publication in autumn 2022, takes as its starting point Gavin’s return to his home country of Ireland, after spending most of his adulthood abroad, to live with his mother in a small flat during lockdown. She is in the early stages of dementia and he is preparing to take on the responsibility of caring for her; while doing so, he begins to reflect on their relationship and how it has shaped him.
Editorial Director Molly Slight bought UK & Cw rights from Rebecca Carter at Janklow & Nesbit (UK). Slight said: ‘This is an extraordinary piece of work — a raw, intimate portrait of Gavin’s family that touches on mental illness, drug addiction, Oedipian feelings, grief, the complexities of gender and sexuality, and more. The writing is sublime. Having worked with Gavin as a novelist for years, I am so excited to share with readers how he has translated his immense narrative skill to non-fiction.’
Gavin McCrea’s debut novel Mrs Engels was shortlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize and the Walter Scott Prize, and longlisted for the Guardian First Book Award. His second novel, The Sisters Mao, will be published in September, and has already been praised by the likes of Sebastian Barry, Xiaolu Guo, Donal Ryan, and Sara Baume, who said of the book: ‘Gavin is a writer of extraordinary talent, and I cannot think of a kind of reader who I would not recommend this novel to.’ Scribe are supporting The Sisters Mao with an extensive publicity and marketing campaign, launching with a Bookseller cover and a far-reaching superproof mailout in June.
For information about Scribe’s publication of Cells, please contact Molly Slight (molly[at]scribepub.co.uk). For rights, please contact Rebecca Carter (RCarter[at]janklow.co.uk).
For a proof of The Sisters Mao, please contact Adam Howard (adam[at]scribepub.co.uk).
The Sisters Mao
A Sunday Independent Book of the Year
Against the backdrop of China’s Cultural Revolution and Europe’s sexual revolution, the fates of two families in London and Beijing become unexpectedly intertwined, in this dazzling new novel from the author of Mrs Engels.
Revolution is a Family Affair.
In London, sisters Iris and Eva, members of a radical performance collective, plan an attack on the West End theatre where their mother is playing the title role in Miss Julie. Meanwhile in Beijing, Jiang Qing, Chairman Mao’s wife, rehearses a gala performance of her model ballet, The Red Detachment of Women, which…
