Joffe Books acquires Yeowart's 'stunningly accomplished' debut

Joffe Books has acquired The Silent Listener, a thriller by Australian debut author Lyn Yeowart.

Commissioning managing editor Emma Grundy Haigh acquired UK and European English language rights from Jacinta di Mase at Jacinta di Mase Management in Melbourne. Publication is slated for spring 2021.

The Silent Listener is a literary psychological thriller loosely based on events from the author's own childhood in rural Australia. It will interweave three timelines to depict a dark family history and intricate web of lies against the harsh backdrop of rural Australia.  

Grundy Haigh said: "Lyn Yeowart’s extraordinary novel, The Silent Listener, came to me via the wonderful Australian agent Jacinta di Mase. After a feverish night reading, I leaped into our morning team call, declaring I’d been handed one of the best debuts I’d ever read. I knew I had to have it. The Silent Listener is a devastating, twisty and stunningly accomplished debut that surely signals the emergence of a bold new voice on the thriller scene.”