Granta pre-empts Hallberg's The Second Coming

Granta has pre-empted The Second Coming by Garth Risk Hallberg.

Associate publishing director Jason Arthur acquired UK and Commonwealth rights (excluding Canada) in a “major” pre-empt from Caspian Dennis at Abner Stein on behalf of Chris Parris-Lamb at the Gernert Company. It will publish on 4th July 2024.

“Hallberg’s luminous new novel plunges us deep into the lives of a teenage girl and her father as they navigate love, grief, betrayal and redemption” the publisher teased.

“When 13-year-old Jolie Aspern drops her phone onto the subway tracks in 2011, her estranged dad, Ethan, seems like the furthest thing from her mind. A convicted felon and recovering addict, Ethan has always struggled to see past himself. But then a call from his ex makes him fear their daughter is in deeper trouble than anyone realises. And believing he’s the only one who can save her, he decides to return to New York with a gift: the whole of his life, its hard-won triumphs and harrowing mistakes…

Arthur said: “Garth Risk Hallberg is, to my mind, one of the best American novelists of his generation. He is certainly one of the most formidable and rewarding authors I have read in recent years. Moving and dazzling, compelling and utterly unforgettable, The Second Coming is a fabulous novel that has at its heart a touching yet devastating father/daughter relationship. I couldn’t have wished for a better book with which to bring Garth to Granta. This is a great American novel that will resonate wherever it is read. It’s a tremendous achievement and more than delivers on the huge promise of City on Fire [Vintage].”