HQ signs Wilson's 'searing' memoir on autism and ageing

HQ has acquired the first adult memoir from children’s author Anna Wilson, billed as a “searing” account of autism and ageing.

Kate Fox, editorial director at HQ, acquired world all language rights to A Place for Everything from Cathryn Summerhayes at Curtis Brown. 

The synopsis explains: “A Place for Everything is a heartbreaking account of Anna's mother's late diagnosis of autism, at the age of 72—at a stage of her mother's life when it was too late to be of any use. This is a story of a life lived with an undiagnosed disorder, those big unspoken family truths, and what it means to care for our parents in their final years.”

HQ will publish the book in summer 2020 in hardback, e-book and audio. 

Wilson said: "Mum spent almost all her life with no diagnosis. She died a year after we discovered that she had lived 72 years being misrepresented and misunderstood. It has been a huge challenge, writing about my family, and I am acutely aware of the responsibility involved in telling another’s story. However, I am incredibly grateful to be given the opportunity to have Mum’s experiences shared with a wider audience. I hope that others in a similar situation might take comfort in the knowledge that they are not alone.”

Fox added: “From the first time I read A Place for Everything, I knew I was holding something special. Anna is a consummate storyteller in her children’s writing, but it’s taken guts and skill to turn that light on her own life and tell the story of her mother’s autism, and its repercussions for her whole family. So many people struggle with this in silence—this is a story that deserves to be heard.”

Summerhayes commented: “I am so thrilled Anna and her mum’s special story has landed with the wonderful team at HQ. This is a book that openly expresses all the emotions of overwhelming love (and occasionally hate) you can only really feel for your close family, whatever surprises they throw at you.”