Simon & Schuster acquire Monique Roffey’s next novel
July 27, 2010
Simon & Schuster have acquired rights in Monique Roffey's next novel, provisionally titled ROMANY, which will be set at sea. It tells the story of a man whose home and family have been devastated by a tropical flood, and then sets sail with his young daughter and their dog, in an attempt to come to terms with his loss and make his peace with the elements. Senior Commissioning Editor Francesca Main acquired UK and Commonwealth rights including Australia and New Zealand from Isobel Dixon at Blake Friedmann.
Main said: 'There is a real passion for and commitment to Monique at S&S and we're particularly thrilled to have the opportunity to publish her together with our colleagues at S&S Australia going forwards. Like THE WHITE WOMAN ON THE GREEN BICYCLE, this new novel will also be inspired by real-life events and have a biographical dimension to it, yet will be transformed by Monique's miraculous imagination into something new. I have no doubt that it will be as unique, compelling, sensuous and resonant as her previous novels, and I can't wait for us to publish it.'
S&S plan to publish ROMANY in spring 2012. In the meantime, they will publish Roffey's eye-opening, provocative memoir, WITH THE KISSES OF HIS MOUTH, in summer 2011, and produce a special edition of her debut novel, SUN DOG, this coming April.
Monique Roffey's latest novel, THE WHITE WOMAN ON THE GREEN BICYCLE, was shortlisted for this year's Orange Prize for Fiction and has sold over 50,000 copies to date. Rights have also been sold in Australia (Penguin, 2009), the US (Penguin), Romania (Litera), Turkey (Pegasus), and Poland (Nasza Ksiegarnia).
Praise for Monique Roffey
'Vibrant and vivid; passionate and true. This is a powerful tropical mix; a compassionate book that needed to be written.'
-- Amanda Smyth, author of BLACK ROCK
'Compelling and original. A bruised, sensuous love-letter to Trinidad which grippingly unfolds the violent aftermath of colonial rule and also speaks fearlessly of love and hatred across the lines of 'race' and class.'
-- Maggie Gee
'Monique Roffey's story of contemporary Trinidad seen through European eyes breaks entirely new ground. It is a major contribution to the new wave of Caribbean writing: energetic, uncompromising, bold in the choice of narrative devices, and a great read. Roffey is a magical storyteller...Boundless in its understanding of the human spirit…will resonate with readers everywhere.'
-- Olive Senior, Jamaican poet, short story writer and Commonwealth Prize-winner
'Monique Roffey is a writer of verve, vibrancy and compassion, and her work is always a joy to read.'
-- Sarah Hall
'From its opening pages, I was entranced by the world of this novel. Monique Roffey's Trinidad is full of strife and languor, violence and also hushed moments of peace, so beautifully and lushly evoked that while I was reading Trinidad became more real for me than my own neighborhood. George and Sabine are just as compelling and convincing, two characters who create so much trouble for each other and yet curiously suit each other so well. What a vibrant, provocative, satisfying novel - I can't stop thinking about it.'
-- Suzanne Berne, author of the Orange Prize winning A CRIME IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD
'It's a dramatic and enlightening exploration of colonialism and revolt in Trinidad through the perceptions of two main characters caught up in a tumultuous history. It's also an honest and moving anatomy of a long marriage, its comforts and costs. What is very striking is the equal compassion in the portrayals of a faithless, selfish man and a disappointed woman - Monique's merciful identification with both of them reminds me of Toni Morrison.'
-- Linda Anderson, author of TO STAY ALIVE and CUCKOO