John Murray acquires new novel by New Zealand novelist Catherine Chidgey at auction

John Murray has acquired a new novel by New Zealand novelist Catherine Chidgey at auction.

Nicholas Pearson, publishing director at John Murray, has acquired The Book of Guilt by Catherine Chidgey from Caroline Dawnay at United Agents at auction for publication in May 2025.

Rights have been sold to Reagan Arthur, for her new Hachette Book Group US imprint, and to Te Herenga Waka University Press in Chidgey’s native New Zealand, as well as to Knopf in Canada, PRH in Australia and Heyne in Germany.

The Book of Guilt is Chidgey’s ninth novel and her many accolades include two Women’s Prize for Fiction longlistings and four International Dublin Literary Award nominations.

The synopsis reads: "In a sinisterly skewed version of England in 1979, 13-year-old triplets Vincent, Lawrence and William are the last remaining residents of a New Forest children’s home, part of the government’s Sycamore Scheme. Each day the boys must take medicine to protect themselves from a mysterious illness to which many of their friends have succumbed. Children who survive are allowed to move to the Big House in Margate, a destination of mythical proportions, desired by every Sycamore child. Meanwhile, in Exeter, Nancy lives a secluded life with her parents, who never let her leave the house. As the government looks to shut down the Sycamore homes and place their residents into the community, the triplets’ lives begin to intersect with Nancy’s, culminating in revelations that will rock the children to the core."

Pearson said: "Set in the long shadow of the Holocaust, with its texture of late-1970s England yoked to a reinvented past where everything is not as it seems, Chidgey has created one of the most memorable and haunting reading experiences I have had. Its daring plot ticks down like a timepiece, all the while throwing light on the dark complexities of human nature."

Chidgey added: "I’m delighted to see The Book of Guilt strike a chord with so many stellar international publishers. I like to challenge myself with each new book, and I can’t wait for readers to engage with my first foray into dystopian fiction."