You are viewing your 1 free article this month. Login to read more articles.
Chatto & Windus has signed We Pretty Pieces of Flesh, a “searing, voice-led” debut novel about working-class female friendship set in Doncaster by Colwill Brown.
Rose Tomaszewska, editorial director, acquired UK and commonwealth rights (non-exclusive Europe) from Veronique Baxter at David Higham Associates on behalf of Henry Dunow at Dunow Carlson & Lerner. Chatto & Windus will publish in spring 2025 alongside Holt, where Caroline Zancan pre-empted US rights.
The publisher says We Pretty Pieces of Flesh “takes you by the hand and drags you through Doncaster’s schoolyards, alleyways and nightclubs, bringing back the intimate treachery of teenage friendship and how we grow as women when we grow up too fast".
Its synopsis reads: “Rach, Kel and Shaz bonded on the first day of big school, after Shaz lost a fight with older girls round the back of the skating rink. Since then, they shared everything from blagging their way into nightclubs, how to masturbate with an electric toothbrush and trips to the FP (Family Planning) when they’re late. Everything, except what happened to Shaz in the cornfield that one summer night.
“So why, when Shaz and Rach bump into each other in town centre – late 20s, after the Brexit vote – are they strangers to each other? If they are ever to understand what happened to them as girls, Shaz must decide whether she has the courage to tell her secret, and risk destroying everything.”
Tomaszewska said: “This novel captivated me from its first breathless sentences, written in vernacular so sharp and striking it felt like an electric shock. Everyone at Chatto and Vintage wants to be in Rach, Kel and Shaz’s gang, and we are chuffed to be sharing their story with the world. Colwill is a writer of original talent who cares deeply about the issues she raises, and we have no doubt she will be a star.”
Brown said: “I couldn’t be more thrilled to be working with Rose and the team at Chatto/Vintage, and I’m so grateful to Henry and Veronique for bringing us together. The novel grew from my own hunger for characters whose lives reflect my lived experience, and whose voices we don’t hear nearly enough. I was blown away by Rose and the team’s belief in and vision for the book, and I can’t wait to share this story with readers.”