Fleet acquires ‘stunning’ gothic debut The North Shore by former Tate curator Tufnell

Fleet has acquired The North Shore by Ben Tufnell, a “masterful” debut gothic novel inspired by the author’s coastal Norfolk upbringing.

Editorial director Rhiannon Smith acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from Charlotte Seymour at Andrew Nurnberg Associates for publication in April 2023.

The publisher’s synopsis reads: “You don’t pass through the North Shore on the way to anywhere else: it is the end of the road. The residents know nature’s tempestuous ways and batten down the hatches when the storms rip through. But the morning after one particularly ferocious storm, something is washed up on the beach that has never appeared before. Something that opens the question of what nature, and the North Shore, are truly capable of.”

Ben Tufnell is a writer and curator based in London. Previously a curator at the Tate, he is a founding director of Parafin, an independent art gallery. He has published widely on modern and contemporary art, focusing particularly on artists and art forms that engage with ideas of land, landscape and place. The North Shore is his debut novel.

He said: “I’ve published a number of books on art but have always written fiction and it is a joy to finally make my debut as a novelist, especially as part of Fleet’s wonderful roster of writers. The North Shore took 10 years to write, and I can’t wait for it to reach readers’ hands. While it is deeply rooted in a rural childhood it is really a story about the ways in which we use myths, stories and art to make sense of the strangeness of the world.”

Amy Perkins, who is covering Smith’s parental leave, said: “It’s been a thrill to work on this remarkable book over the past few months. Ben is gifted with a unique style that captures landscape in a truly special way. The way he entwines gothic sensibilities with folklore is stunning, and I can’t wait for the novel to set people’s imaginations alight next spring.”

Seymour added: “I had long wanted to find something in the vein of The North Shore, which draws on certain landscapes and stories I happened to have grown up with myself, and yet captures something universal and timeless too. I’m thrilled to have found such a perfect home for Ben’s work at Fleet.”