Trapeze pre-empts Rothchild's 'compulsive and darkly funny' debut

Trapeze has pre-empted UK and Commonwealth rights for Blood Sugar, the debut novel from Emmy-nominated screenwriter Sascha Rothchild, who has written and co-produced shows including Netflix’s "Glow" and "The Bold Type". 

Rachel Neely, commissioning editor, acquired the book from Jenny Meyer at the Jenny Meyer Literacy Agency. Blood Sugar will be published in hardback in May 2022. Putnam will publish the title in the US.

The synopsis reads: "When Ruby was a child growing up in Miami, she saw her younger sister’s bully struggling against the ocean waves during a trip to the beach. Instead of helping him, Ruby dove under the water and held his ankle down until he drowned. She waited to feel guilty for it, but she never did. As Ruby will argue in her senior thesis while studying psychology at Yale, guilt is sort of like eating ice cream while on a diet — if you're already feeling bad, why not eat the whole carton? And so, the bodies start to stack up.

"Twenty-five years later, Ruby's in an interrogation room under suspicion of murder, being shown four photographs. Each is a person she once knew, now deceased. The line-up includes her husband Jason. She is responsible for three of the four deaths... but it might be the crime that she didn't commit that will finally ensnare her."

Neely said: "As soon as I opened Sascha’s novel I was absolutely hooked. Part thriller, part coming-of-age story, I fell head over heels for the charming protagonist, Ruby, despite her twisted sense of justice. Dark, witty and fierce, she is the perfect anti-hero. I couldn’t be more excited to be welcoming Sascha to the Trapeze list."

Rothchild commented: "When I learned Trapeze wanted to published Blood Sugar in the UK, I was thrilled since they also publish many of my favourite authors. I am honoured to be in such good company. And Rachel immediately got my voice and the unique tone of my debut novel. Working with her is a perfect pairing. Now, when is the London book party?!"