Borough Press acquires 'hilarious and touching' second novel from Davies

The Borough Press has acquired an “hilarious and touching” second novel by Kate Davies, author of the Polari Book Prize-winning In at The Deep End (Borough Press).  

Suzie Dooré, publishing director, acquired UK and Commonwealth rights to Nuclear Family from Judith Murray at Greene and Heaton. It will publish in summer 2023.  

Nuclear Family focuses on twin sisters Alison and Lena, whose lives are blown apart when they receive a DNA testing kit for Christmas and discover their beloved father, Tom, is not biologically related to them. Alison is convinced nurture matters more than nature—she and her wife are trying for a child using donor sperm—but Lena becomes obsessed with tracking down their biological father and even more obsessed with a half-brother she finds on the internet. 

Davies said: “I absolutely love working with Suzie and I’m so excited Nuclear Family will be published by the brilliant team at The Borough Press. I wanted to write a funny, honest novel exploring the ethics of donor conception because I was conceived using anonymous donor sperm myself. Writing the book changed my life: by the end of the second draft, my wife and I had decided to try for a child with the help of a known donor and I delivered the novel just before our son was born. Plus, in a life-imitating-art twist, I took a DNA test as research and discovered a whole new branch of my family tree.” 

Dooré added: “I just adore Kate’s writing—she brings such freshness and humour to big emotional subjects and Nuclear Family is just as hilarious, touching and thought-provoking as In at The Deep End. Editing her is great fun.”