Endeavour signs Deeney's Love & Care

Octopus imprint Endeavour has signed Love & Care by journalist Shaun Deeney, “a thought-provoking and often funny” account of a man becoming a carer for his mother just as he is hoping to find love one last time, post-divorce.

Claudia Connal, publishing director, acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from Jennifer Christie at the Graham Maw Christie Agency. The hardback will be published on 20th May 2021 with a simultaneous e-book and audiobook.

Deeney is a former journalist and Emmy award-winning film and TV producer, who has made current affairs programmes on social issues, including care. Love & Care, based on his podcast of the same name, charts his first year of learning to care for his mum who has Parkinson's dementia.

The publisher explained: “Writing with raw honesty and humour, Shaun reflects on his own experiences of both love and care — as a son, a father, and a man — as he attempts to come to terms with the present reality and keep hope alive. A hugely timely publication, Love & Care touches on issues of ageing and care faced by many families around the world, which have been exacerbated by a pandemic that has seen 4.5 million people in the UK facing new care responsibilities, joining Britain’s existing seven million-plus carers.”

Connal said: “The past year has seen many of us taking on caring roles and learning to cope with the highs and lows that come with it. I was immediately drawn to Shaun’s story. We have fallen in love with Shaun’s wonderful prose – the heartfelt descriptions of life with his mother, the touches of gentle humour and the wry observations. Love & Care is a book for our time. It is truly a celebration of our capacity to love in all its forms.”

Deeney added: “I desperately wanted carers to be seen as people with their own lives and tell the truth about care by writing openly about my own experiences and failings, both as a carer and as a man, but with a genuine sense of hope for the future. Because though there are challenges in learning to care there are also hugely valuable lessons in love.”