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Canongate is to publish Paper Cup, a "heartfelt" novel by Scottish author Karen Campbell.
Commissioning editor Jo Dingley acquired world rights from Jo Unwin at JULA. Canongate will publish as a lead hardback in June 2022.
The novel centres on Kelly, who, on her journey from Glasgow to the south-west tip of Scotland, encounters ancient pilgrim routes, hostile humans, hippies, book lovers and a friendly dog, as memories stir and the people she thought she’d left behind forever, move closer with every step.
The synopsis explains: "What if going back means you could begin again? Rocked by a terrible accident, homeless Kelly needs to escape the city streets of Glasgow. Maybe she doesn’t believe in serendipity, but a rare moment of kindness and a lost engagement ring conspire to call her home. As Kelly vows to reunite the lost ring with its owner, she must return to the small Galloway town she fled so many years ago.
"Full of compassion and hope, Paper Cup is a novel about how easy it can be to fall through the cracks, and what it takes to turn around a life that has run off course."
Campbell, a former police officer and winner of the Best New Scottish Writer Award in 2009, said: "Paper Cup is a story about a woman who has nobody and nothing. Who tells herself it’s better that way, because no one can let her down – and she can’t hurt folk either. But Kelly was once a girl with hopes and plans, same as everyone else. So Paper Cup is me, following her on her journey, to see if that girl is still inside. Canongate are my dream publisher, and I’m delighted at the love they’ve already shown Kelly and her crew."
Unwin said: "Karen Campbell has an almost unique ability to shed light on – and humanise – the people we all live alongside, but rarely see reflected in books. And never at the expense of an absolutely cracking story. I’m very excited to see Canongate bring Karen to a new audience; she deserves to be read very, very widely."
Francis Bickmore, publishing director, said: "We could all use books nowadays that make us feel more connected to our fellow humans and give us permission to hope. Karen Campbell has written the comeback novel for our times. Paper Cup is a heartfelt road trip, brim-full of compassion, and the acceptance of how easy it is to fall through the cracks when life doesn’t go your way. Everyone at Canongate is thrilled about her joining the list next June."