Footnote Press lands 'luminous' fiction debut from Emmanuel

Footnote Press has landed Wild Geese, the "luminous" fiction debut from Soula Emmanuel. 

Consulting editor Candida Lacey acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from Olivia Maidment at The Madeleine Milburn Literary Agency. 

Wild Geese follows Phoebe Forde, an Irish trans woman living in Scandinavia. Phoebe is settling into her new life when she unexpectedly reconnects with her first and only girlfriend from before her transition, igniting memories she thought she’d left behind. The novel is an "intimate and moving story about old flames, old lives, the comfort of home and the desire to start again somewhere else". 

Lacey said: “Soula writes with such intensity and insight –her pitch-perfect prose pulls you in to the story and delivers the profound emotional as well as geographical landscapes that stay with you long after you close the book. By charting the many dislocations and relocations – both internal and external, the encounters, accidents, memories and multiple layers of loss – and love – that constitute a life, Wild Geese aligns seamlessly with Footnote’s mission to explore expansive and eclectic interpretations of migration, identity and marginalised knowledge and experience. This is a work that will hopefully help many others navigate and embrace their own differences, their own private ’pool of shared grief’, as will the reminder of the redeeming power of being known and accepted by a friend.” 

Emmanuel added: “Wild Geese is a novel about so many things I was eager to write about: loss, hope, second chances, redemption, friendship, love, owning your body, and feeling like you don’t quite belong anywhere. It’s a little bit zen and a little bit daft, and I’m so very proud of it. I’m delighted Candida, Vidisha and the fabulous team at Footnote have put their faith in me to take it forward to publication, and with the hard work my agent Liv Maidment and everyone at The Madeleine Milburn Literary Agency has done to get me to this point.”