Borough Press pre-empts eco-thriller from Pattee

The Borough Press has pre-empted an eco-thriller from climate journalist Emma Pattee. 

Sophia Schoepfer, editor, acquired UK and Commonwealth rights to Animal Sounds from Caspian Dennis at Abner Stein on behalf of the Massie & McQuilkin Literary Agency. It will publish in spring 2025. 

The book imagines the immediate aftermath of "The Big One" – a long-anticipated earthquake expected to destroy the north-west coast of America. It follows a pregnant woman navigating the devastation of her home town while making excruciating choices towards survival. 

Pattee has written for the Atlantic, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Guardian, WIRED, Newsweek and more. In 2021, she coined the term "Climate Shadow" to describe an individual’s potential impact on climate change. 

Schoepfer said: “I could tell in my gut that Animal Sounds was something special from the very first pages. Beneath the novel’s gripping commercial premise is a fierce, tender and nuanced story of a woman confronting a broken world and questioning all her life decisions. I cackled, I cried and I absolutely tore through it. What an honour to be bringing such an exciting new voice to The Borough Press list.” 

Pattee added: “I am thrilled to be joining The Borough Press and working with Sophia Schoepfer. From the beginning, Sophia understood what I was trying to do with this unusual book and I couldn’t imagine a better editor and publishing house to bring this story to the UK. After writing about climate change for the Guardian for the past few years, I have a deep respect for the intellect and incisiveness of British readers. 

“This may be an American earthquake, but it’s a universal story: We are all living under the threat of climate change, hugging our families close. We are all examining our own ambitions and lives within the cult of capitalism. There is nothing more human than standing in the wreckage, asking how to live a joyful life in the midst of so much suffering.”