Thomas’ The Performance goes to W&N

W&N has won a five-way auction for The Performance by Australian writer Claire Thomas which it describes as “the equivalent of a brilliant night at the theatre”.

Editorial director Federico Andornino acquired UK rights to the novel by Claire Thomas from Clare Forster at Curtis Brown Australia in a five-way auction. Hachette Australia Head of Literary Robert Watkins acquired ANZ rights.

The synopsis explains: “On a hot summer night in Melbourne, as bushfires rage in the nearby hills, three women find themselves in the dark of a theatre. Watching a play, they each grapple with their anxieties and loves, their truths and pretensions. After this intense night, each woman will go back out into the world with a different understanding.”

Andornino said: “Reading The Performance was the equivalent of a brilliant night at the theatre, that moment when you become so enthralled with a show that you forget your surroundings and you lose yourself completely in the story being told.

“In this age of endless entertainment opportunities we all know how rare it is to feel that kind of connection, and I am in awe of Claire’s skill and empathy: she might be a young writer but she’s got the touch of a true master. I am also particularly excited to be sharing this project with Robert and the team at Hachette Australia, and I can’t wait to help them introduce Claire’s brilliant novel to the world.”

The Performance will be published in early 2021.

Thomas’s first novel Fugitive Blue was published by Allen & Unwin Australia in 2008 and won the Dobbie Literary Award.