Oneworld snaps up dark comedy from Caoilinn Hughes

Oneworld has scooped Caoilinn Hughes’ “mesmerising and ambitious” second novel which promises to be a dark comedy on euthanasia.

Juliet Mabey bought UK and Commonwealth rights for The Wild Laughter from Anna Webber at United Agents on behalf of The Clegg Agency in New York. The cover artwork will be designed by Ben Summers and the book will be published May 2020.

The synopsis explains: “Set in rural Ireland, it’s a contemporary Irish tragedy about two bankrupt brothers, tasked with euthanizing their father. With a dark humour and pathos that recall Flann O’Brien and Flannery O’Connor, this is a novel about class and family, cowardice and legacy, and the crisis of masculinity in a rapidly changing society.”

Mabey said: “I am so thrilled to be publishing Caoilinn’s second novel, The Wild Laughter, in the spring. Like her debut, this is a mesmerising, ambitious novel that brilliantly showcases both her breathtaking prose and razor-sharp wit. It’s just a joy to read.”

Hughes added: "The whole tireless team at Oneworld was fantastic to work with on Orchid and the Wasp, and I'm delighted to have found such a good reader for The Wild Laughter in Juliet Mabey. So far, thanks to Juliet and designer Ben Summers' reading and understanding of the book, not to mention their attention to detail, The Wild Laughter has a cover so perfect they can misspell my name and I'll be holding it proudly."

Hughes' debut novel Orchid and the Wasp (Oneworld) won the Collyer Bristow Prize 2019 and was shortlisted for the Hearst Big Book Award and the Butler Literary Prize. Her poetry collection Gathering Evidence (Carcanet Press) won the Irish Times Shine/Strong Award 2015.