Down's Syndrome novel of 'breathtaking power' to Granta

Granta Books is to publish Census, a novel of "breathtaking power and emotional generosity" by American novelist Jesse Ball.

Editorial director Max Porter bought UK rights from Sterling Lord Literistic in New York.

Census is a portrait of Down’s Syndrome through the story of a father and son travelling from A to Z in an unnamed land.

Porter said: “Jesse Ball is a singular and visionary craftsman, and all of us at Granta have been admiring his work for many years. With Census he has written a masterpiece. It is a novel of breathtaking power and emotional generosity. If forced to provide a comparison for British readers I would suggest Kazuo Ishiguro’s The Buried Giant (Faber). Like that great book it is a dream-like fable with much to say about the world we live in now, about fear and kindness and tolerance. It is the kind of literature one might turn to for hope in dark times, to be reminded of the grace and tenderness of human beings.”

Ball is the author of fourteen books. His latest novel How to Set a Fire and Why was published in 2016 by Text Publishing Company.

Granta will publish Census in 2018. US rights were sold to Megan Lynch at Ecco. Multiple other territories have sold including to Text in ANZ. For rights enquiries contact Szilvia Molnar at Szilvia@sll.com.