HarperFiction snaps up Thornton thriller

HarperFiction will publish journalist and author Rebecca Thornton's thriller about a toxic friendship between a group of mums.

Charlotte Brabbin, commissioning editor at HarperFiction acquired world English language rights to The Fallout in a deal struck with Nelle Andrew at PFD. The title will be published as a paperback original in April 2020 with early e-book and audio editions scheduled for December 2019.

“Set in the claustrophobic world of a group of mothers whose children attend the same primary school, The Fallout is a page-turning, gossip-fuelled domestic drama,” the synopsis reads. “The story explores the aftershock of a child’s fall at the local health club when one mother forgets to check on her best friend’s little boy – yet the accident is only the beginning. A little white lie spirals out of control – turning friendships toxic and sending the school gate rumour mill into overdrive as everyone is determined to find out the truth about what happened.”

Thornton is a former journalist whose writing has been published in the Guardian, You Magazine, the Daily Mail, Jewish News and the Sunday People. She is the author of previous novels The Exclusives and Your Guilty Secret, (both published by Bonnier Zaffre), and she is an alumna of the Faber Academy ‘Writing A Novel’ course.

Brabbin said: “The Fallout starts with a bang but there’s no let-up in pace as the accident brilliantly wrenches open the cracks in the lives of a group of mums already weighted with secrets and marital tensions. I love how the book takes us behind closed doors but with an addictive, gossipy spin.”

“I couldn't be happier that HarperCollins will be publishing The Fallout,” Thornton said. “Charlotte Brabbin and the rest of the crew have made me feel so incredibly welcome and already poured so much energy into the novel – I feel very lucky to be working with such a fantastic team.”

Andrew added: “HarperCollins is the perfect place for Rebecca and I feel confident of Charlotte’s vision and her team to launch this brilliant new book. With their incredible attention to detail and passion for the novel, this is truly a publishing house in which my author can feel fully at home.”