Atlantic signs 'beautiful' new novel from Washington

Atlantic has signed Family Meal, a "beautiful" new novel from Dylan Thomas Prize-winner Bryan Washington. 

James Roxburgh, Atlantic Fiction publishing director, acquired UK and Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada, from Danielle Bukowski at Sterling Lord Literistic. The novel will be published in October. 

The synopsis reads: "Growing up, TJ was Cam’s boy next door. When Cam needed a home, TJ’s parents took him in. Their family bakery became Cam’s safe place until he left. Years later, Cam’s world is falling apart. The love of his life is dead and Cam’s not sure he’s ready to let go of him, but when he has a chance to return to his home town he takes it. Back in the same place as TJ, they circle each other warily, TJ unsure how to navigate Cam—utterly cool, completely devastated and self-destructive—crashing back into his world." 

Roxburgh said: "This is such a beautiful novel—tough, honest, funny, sensual, traumatic, generous. It has a basic emotional philosophy of mutual accountability, that taking care of ourselves is taking care of the people we love, and taking care of the people we love is taking care of ourselves. It’s also brilliant on male friendship, on platonic love, on food and sex and on ghosts, and there’s a moment of stillness towards the end that moved me so much that my bones felt soft, and moved one of our publicity directors so much that a woman on the train had to ask if she was okay. Bryan Washington is a major writer and this is very much a major work."