HarperFiction buys debut novel from BBC journalist Reeta Chakrabarti

HarperFiction has signed a deal for the debut novel, and one further title, from BBC journalist Reeta Chakrabarti.  Martha Ashby, publishing director at HarperFiction, bought world all languages in a two-book deal from Kerr MacRae at Kerr MacRae LPA in association with Mary Greenham at NewsPresenters Ltd.  

Described as “a novel about family secrets, cultural differences and the ways the past shapes our present”, the first title, Finding Belle, will publish in spring 2025. It follows Mivvi, only child of Belle and Fairfax’s tempestuous marriage.

The synopsis continues: “Wed after a whirlwind romance in Belle’s hometown of Mombasa, they return to England as man and wife, little anticipating the culture shock Belle will face as an Indian woman in suburban England.

“Alienated from her peers, far from relatives and friends, and with a husband who couldn’t – wouldn’t – face her crisis, Belle gradually untethers from the world. Years later, Mivvi must decode her mother’s illnesses and her father’s infidelities, through adolescence and into adulthood, as she tries to shape a future of her own, while uncovering what’s been hidden from her.” 

Chakrabarti is a journalist and broadcaster who has worked for the BBC for more than 30 years. Born in London, she was brought up in Birmingham and lived in Calcutta, India, as a teenager, returning to the UK for university.  

She has previously been a judge for the 2021 David Cohen Prize for Literature; she was the chair of the 2021 Costa Book of the Year; and in 2023, chaired the BBC National Short Story Award. 

Ashby said: “Reeta’s novel is a powerful story of mothers and daughters, betrayal and madness and a child who must forge her own identity. Reading this rich and compelling novel raises questions of belonging and what it means to work out who you are without the usual support of family around you. I dived headfirst into this glorious novel and can’t wait to share it with readers.” 

Chakrabarti, who is based in London, said: “I am thrilled to be publishing my first novel with HarperCollins. My day job is spent writing news scripts and delivering them on air; but I have always been an avid reader of fiction, and this marks the culmination of a longstanding ambition to write a novel. Finding Belle has had a long gestation, and I’m so delighted it has found a good home.”