Hodder acquires Lowe's 'fun, clever and spiky' debut

Hodder & Stoughton has secured world rights in all languages to Ali Lowe’s debut novel, The Trivia Night, in a two-book deal agreed with Marina de Pass at The Soho Agency.

Set in the Northern Beaches of Sydney, Australia, Lowe's debut will follow four couples at a school charity trivia night and the ensuing fallout after they make a reckless pact to swap partners for the evening. Publication is scheduled for 2022. 

Women’s fiction publisher Kimberley Atkins commented: "I can’t wait to publish the excellent The Trivia Night—a novel which feels a little like Liane Moriarty meets 'Desperate Housewives'. It’s such a fun, clever and spiky debut with an addictive premise—what would happen if you agreed to swap partners with a group of fellow primary school parents for one night only? I love that The Trivia Night is written from the point of view of three very different characters, each giving their own take on the night’s events, and I’m so looking forward to working with the hugely talented Ali on her future novels, which are just as ambitious and exciting."

Lowe is a British journalist and former features editor at OK! Magazine. She said: "I am overjoyed The Trivia Night has found the perfect place with Hodder. To have the name Hodder & Stoughton on my novel’s spine will be an absolute thrill—and one the childhood me, who devoured The Famous Five books with the Hodder logo inside, could only have ever dreamed of. I am so grateful to Kimberley Atkins and the team at Hodder for the enthusiasm and love already poured into this book, and I cannot wait to see what’s in store for The Trivia Night."