Hodder Studio acquires 'intensely moving' debut from Sukh Ojla

Hodder Studio will publish Sukh Ojla's debut novel Sunny in September 2021. 

Sara Adams, editorial director for fiction, bought world rights from Noel Gay Artists. 

The synopsis reads: "Sunny follows a 30-year-old woman who has just moved back in with her parents and continues to live her serial-dating life in secret, while all her friends are moving out and moving on with their lives. Until, that is, Sunny’s mother discovers her secret and offers one compromise: she can continue dating, as long as her mother gets to choose who she sees. Now, after each date, rather than sneaking upstairs in the dark, trying not to wake her parents, Sunny comes home to find her mother sitting at the kitchen table with two cups of tea, waiting for the debrief. Through these dates, Sunny might just discover more about herself, and her mum, than she’d ever thought possible."

Adams said: "Sukh Ojla’s Sunny is exactly the novel I’ve needed to read and have been desperate to publish for so long—it is timely, hilarious and raw. Within the first few pages, I felt like I’d known Sunny for years—her story is the story of every woman who has led a double life, trying to fit in and be accepted into two different worlds, while also trying to accept herself for who she is. Sukh is a complete talent, and she’s going to set the fiction world alight—we’re so delighted to be publishing her stunning debut novel."

Ojla commented: "It is an honour to work with an editor as immensely talented and passionate as Sara and all the team at Hodder Studio. There is nothing that brings me more joy than picking up a book where I recognise myself in the characters, but as a working class, British Punjabi child of immigrant parents, my experience is not often reflected in books. I am writing this novel for those of us who have ever been made to feel like an outsider for not following the well-trodden path, and I hope Sunny will speak to other 30-something women and serve as a reminder that you are not alone."

Ojla is a comedian, actor and writer. Her first play "Pyar Actually" toured nationwide in 2017 and 2018. She has performed on BBC2's "Big Asian Stand Up Show" and across the BBC Asian Network. In 2019, she took her debut solo show "For Sukh's Sake" to Edinburgh and Sukh will be touring her new show "Life Sukhs" in 2021.