Jeanine Cummins’ ‘propulsive’ Puerto Rico-set novel goes to Tinder Press

American Dirt author Jeanine Cummins’ next novel, Speak to Me of Home, will be published by Tinder Press and follows a Puerto Rican family recovering from a hurricane.

Tinder Press publisher Mary-Anne Harrington acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from Caspian Dennis at Abner Stein, on behalf of Doug Stewart at Sterling Lord. American rights went to Macmillan US imprint Holt’s executive edtitor Caroline Zancan.   

Headline Publishing Group will publish as a global lead alongside the US in May 2025, and support publication with a major marketing and publicity campaign. 

Speak to Me of Home is the story of three women in one family weathering the fallout of a hurricane in Puerto Rico. When Ruth, in New York, receives the phone call that all parents dread and learns that her daughter Daisy is unconscious in a hospital bed, she longs to rush to her side.

But Daisy is in San Juan, all flights are grounded and there is no way to reach her. Instinctively Ruth turns to her mother, Rafaela, whose own memories of leaving Puerto Rico against her will are only becoming keener with age.  Will the crisis – and their differences – drive the women apart, or can Rafaela find a way to bring them, finally, back home? 

Harrington said: “Propulsive storytelling and huge heart are Jeanine Cummins’ hallmarks as a writer, and no sooner had I turned the first page of Speak to Me of Home than I had the joyful feeling of being in the hands of a novelist at the top of her game.   

“This is a book that addresses themes of belonging and inheritance in the most timely and satisfying way, as each of the three main characters explores her relationship to her Puerto Rican heritage, and to the extraordinary women who have made her who she is.   

“Above all, though, it’s a classic story of a family that’s been pushed and pulled in different directions, where everyone must ask themselves where, and with whom, they truly belong. It’s hugely exciting to see Jeanine Cummins return to fiction on such stellar form, and I know that her millions of fans are going to lose their hearts to her writing all over again.”

Cummins said: “I’m thrilled to be back with my team at Tinder Press for my new novel, the writing of which has been a uniquely restorative experience. I can’t wait to introduce these characters to the world, and I hope they’ll spark lots of recognition among readers who might relate to all the ways these three women love and misunderstand each other across the generations. I always endeavour to write the book that might prompt readers to re-examine their convictions. In this case, I also wrote to rediscover my own. I am delighted with where I landed and can’t wait for publication day.” 

Tinder Press published Cummins’ New York Times-bestselling American Dirt in 2020.