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Canongate seizes new 'story of wild adventure' by The Midnight Library author Haig
Canongate has seized Matt Haig’s new adult novel The Life Impossible, his first since The Midnight Library (Canongate).
Publisher at large Francis Bickmore acquired rights from Clare Conville at C&W. The book will be published in the UK in hardback, e-book and audio on 29th August 2024. Canongate has already licensed rights in the book to the US (Viking), Canada (HarperCollins), Germany (Droemer-Knaur) and Italy (Edizioni E/O).
The Life Impossible is described as "a story of wild adventure, deep transformation and gloriously heart-warming characters". The author has written books for adults and children, as well as three works of non-fiction, including Reasons to Stay Alive (Canongate) and Notes on a Nervous Planet (Canongate). His work has been translated into 54 languages.
Haig has currently sold 2.9 million books for £19.7m via Nielsen BookScan in the UK, with The Midnight Library his bestseller, on 733,221 copies sold in non-lockdown weeks. The book was his, and publisher Canongate’s, first ever overall number one.
Haig said: "I’ve never written a book that I feel more proud of or more excited about than The Life Impossible. It’s a book I didn’t plan to write. I stepped away from writing three years ago. But then this idea came, like a barnacle to a boat and I just had to write it.
"It’s an adventure story, a mystery story, a story about ecology. It’s about the world, about grief, love, the ocean, hope, redemption – all the big life and death things. I’ve poured everything into it and I’m so excited for you to read it this time next year."
Bickmore added: "The Life Impossible is a gift to readers and a future Matt Haig classic in the making. It is a wonderful story with a thunderously beating heart, all driven by a charming – and utterly disarming – hero. It’s a reminder that we are never too old to believe in the impossible.
"To the nine million readers of The Midnight Library so far, I say, with this new novel, Matt Haig has you covered!"
