Doubleday lands 'electrifying' debut by Setton in two-book deal

Doubleday has landed an "electrifying" debut novel by Bea Setton in a two-book deal.

Alice Youell, commissioning editor, acquired world English language rights, including audio, for Berlin and one other book from Charlotte Seymour at Andrew Nurnberg Associates, before Seymour's move to Johnson & Alcock this January. Berlin will publish in hardback in July 2022. 

The novel follows 26-year-old Daphne who, in the grip of an existential malaise, moves to Berlin for a fresh start. But far from resolving her quarter-life-crisis, more problems emerge, escalate and come to a dramatic and unexpected climax.

The publisher said: "This is a fresh, wry, piercingly contemporary novel in which a young woman navigates a range of challenges – grappling with a new language, acquiring friends, building a life for herself – as well as wrestling with the demons that seem to have followed her across Europe. Daphne is a gloriously original (and not entirely reliable) narrator who swings between charming honesty and a startling tendency to twist the truth. Bea is an exceptional young talent and Berlin is set to make waves this summer."

Youell said: "Effortlessly funny and insightful, Bea channels the modern female experience in a way that feels truly unique. From the snakes and ladders of romance in your second language, to the genuine high stakes of being a lone young woman in a sprawling metropolis away from home, Berlin is at once very witty, very dark and deliciously surprising. I’m absolutely thrilled to be working with Bea and to welcome her to our list at Doubleday."

Setton added: "I wrote this book in a public library in Berlin and sent sections to my mother and best friends who gave me the praise I needed to keep going. Getting first an agent and then a book contract is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I’m incredibly grateful to Charlotte and Alice for believing in my work, and am still astounded that people other than my mother will be reading it soon. I just hope they enjoy the book as much as I loved writing it."