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Saraband lands Ewan Morrison's 'pandemic satire'
Saraband is to publish Ewan Morrison's latest novel, How to Survive Everything.
Described as a "pandemic satire", the novel tells the story of a teenage girl and her brother, taken in secret by their father to a lockdown hideaway in the face of a coming pandemic. Separated from her mother, friends and the outside world, central character Haley has to navigate the "collapse of everything she knows".
The synopsis explains: "The multi-award-winning author of Nina X, Close Your Eyes, Swung and Tales from the Mall tackles fake news, preppers, family dysfunction, mental health and global political conspiracy in a biting satire wrapped in an electrifying thriller confronting the huge political and social issues of our time."
Saraband’s publisher Sara Hunt bought world rights from Nicola Barr at The Bent Agency for an undisclosed sum, and will publish in June 2021.
Hunt said: "This is a biting satire wrapped in an electrifying thriller confronting the huge global issues of our time – from disease, fake news, consumerism and denial of science all the way to family dysfunction and mental health in crisis.
"Ewan is one of the most inventive, provocative and acclaimed writers of his generation, and once again he’s created a powerful and unforgettable voice in a young protagonist. And in spite of tackling such weighty issues, it’s a highly accessible, fast-paced read that is often blackly funny, too."
Morrison is a novelist, screenwriter and essayist. His 2019 novel, Nina X, was the Saltire Society Scottish Fiction Book of the Year and is currently being developed as a feature film. He has previously won the Scottish Book of the Year Fiction Prize (2013), Glenfiddich Scottish Writer of the Year (2012), and Not the Booker Prize (2012). His first feature film, an adaptation, was released in five territories in 2016, and he was a finalist for four international film awards. "American Blackout", a feature-length docudrama co-written by Morrison, reached an estimated audience of 28 million viewers. Morrison has also been nominated for three Scottish BAFTAs.
The author said: "I’m extremely happy to be working with Saraband on this thriller that is a leap into new territory for me. I’m a fan of the edgy, innovative fiction Saraband has been publishing for years. As I was writing How to Survive Everything I was concerned about our polarised political world and the problem of fake news. How can we know truth from lies? Who should we trust when we make life or death choices? And something much closer to home – what if us modern parents can no longer protect our families?"
