Faber sets sail with Kilroy's first novel in a decade

Faber has acquired Soldier Sailor, the "brave and uncompromising" first novel in a decade by Claire Kilroy.

Publishing director Angus Cargill acquired world rights, excluding North America, from Simon Trewin for publication in May 2023.

Soldier Sailor takes the reader "deep into the early days of motherhood," the synopsis states. "Visceral, dangerous, emotional and life-enhancing, the tumultuous landscape of a new mother are revealed as the narrator’s, Soldier’s, marriage strains and an old friend reappears, offering a possible lifeline to the woman she used to be."

Kilroy is the author of four other novels, including Tenderwire (Faber) and her last novel, 2012’s The Devil I Know (Faber). She was awarded the Rooney Prize in 2004 and has been shortlisted for many other prizes, including the Irish Novel of the Year and the Kerry Group Irish Fiction Award.

"I’m thrilled to be publishing a new novel with Claire and Soldier Sailor is as brave and uncompromising as I would expect from such a distinctive writer," Cargill said. "I’m really looking forward to readers discovering this important and unforgettable novel."