Canongate and Tramp Press snap up another 'formally daring' novel by Booker-longlisted McCormack

Canongate, in tandem with Tramp Press, has snapped up a new novel by Mike McCormack, his first since his Booker-longlisted novel in a single sentence, Solar Bones (Tramp Press). 

Publisher at large Francis Bickmore acquired UK and Commonwealth rights, excluding Northern Ireland, Ireland and Canada, in This Plague of Souls for Canongate, while Sarah Davis Goff and Lisa Coen at Tramp Press acquired Irish rights. Both deals were made through Marianne Gunn O’Connor at the Marianne Gunn O’Connor Literary Agency. 

This new novel – described as part metaphysical thriller, part roman noir – will be published on 26th October 2023. 

This Plague of Souls follows a man name Nealon who returns to his family home in Ireland, only to be greeted with an empty house. It seems the world has forgotten that he even existed. The one exception is a persistent caller on the telephone, someone who seems to know everything about Nealon’s life, his recent bother with the law and, more importantly, what has happened to his family. All Nealon needs to do is talk with him. But the more he talks the closer Nealon gets to the same trouble he was in years ago, tangled in the very crimes of which he claims to be innocent.  

McCormack said: ‘’I am delighted to be publishing my new novel, This Plague of Souls, with both Tramp Press and Canongate. It is wonderful to continue to deepen the unique relationship we began with my last novel, Solar Bones. It is a great privilege to work with editors and publishers who have not only such sharp editorial insight but, more importantly, a heartfelt passion for all the possibilities of fiction.” 

Bickmore added: “Who can forget the magnetic pull of Solar Bones, Mike McCormack’s ecstatic experiment that bridged life and death and swept the prize boards in 2016? We’re thrilled that McCormack is back with another formally daring novel with a similarly gripping metaphysical thread. This is fearless fiction at it’s mind-expanding best. The magnificent Tramp Press did a wonderful job of putting Mike back on the map last time and we’re delighted to be working with them for this novel.” 

Tramp Press also commented: “Mike McCormack is simply one of the greatest writers working today. We can’t wait for readers to connect with This Plague of Souls – if you loved Solar Bones, you’ll love Mike’s latest masterpiece.”