Faber unveils Williams’ ‘tensile and beautiful’ debut as 2024 superlead 

Faber has announced The House of Broken Bricks by Fiona Williams as its superlead debut for 2024.

Associate publisher Louisa Joyner acquired UK and Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada, plus audio from Karolina Sutton at CAA.

Deals have already been confirmed with the US (Henry Holt), Germany (Fischer Verlag) and the Netherlands (Signatuur). Publication is scheduled for 18th January 2024.

The synopsis reads: “As Tess traces the sunrise over the floodplains, light that paints the house a startling crimson, she yearns for the comforting chaos of life as it once was. Instead of Max and Sonny tracking dirt through the kitchen – Tess and Richard’s ‘rainbow twins’ – Tess absorbs the quiet. The nights draw in, the soil cools and Richard fights to get his winter crops planted rather than deal with the discussion he cannot bear to have.

“Secrets and vines clamber over the broken red bricks and although its inhabitants seem to be withering, in the damp, crumbling soil – Sonny knows it – something is stirring... As the seasons change, and the cracks let in more light, the family might just be able to start to heal. This is the story of a broken family, what they see and what they cannot say laid bare in their overlapping perspectives. It is a tale of life in the cracks, because in the space for acceptance, of passing and of laying to rest, the possibilities of new energy, light and love, are seeded."

Joyner said: “Fiona Williams’ debut is as lithe and tensile and beautiful and heart-catching as the nature that suffuses its pages. We feel incredibly lucky and proud that we’re going to be publishing it. Once we start to deploy its tendrils, its grip will be strong and far-reaching.”

Williams, winner of the 2021 Bridport Prize, Peggy Chapman-Andrews First Novel Award, commented: “I wanted to tell the story of a Black Londoner who moves to a farming village with her husband and attempts to raise their 10-year-old fraternal twins of different colours – is it possible for her to find belonging and love in a rural landscape? I’m thrilled to be working with Faber. They have an outstanding reputation for championing stories that bring the world closer and share all aspects of humanity. From the start, Louisa has shown a deep understanding and appreciation for my characters and the world they live in.”