Lake Union snaps up ‘truly personal’ novel by Harris  

Lake Union, the contemporary and historical fiction imprint of Amazon Publishing, has secured When I First Held You by Anstey Harris. 

Lake Union acquired world English rights from Sarah Hornsley at PFD. The novel will be published on 24th January 2023.  

“Having been a fan of Anstey’s writing for years, I am delighted to be working with her on this hugely important novel,” editor Victoria Oundjian commented. “When I First Held You is an exquisitely written book about what it means to be connected in this world, and that separation cannot stop love.”  

Mouncif Faqir, from Amazon Books Europe, said: “We are thrilled to be publishing Anstey Harris’s beautiful new novel When I First Held You on the Lake Union Publishing list in January 2023.” 

The synopsis for When I First Held You reads: “In 1960s Glasgow, anti-nuclear activists Judith and Jimmy fall in love. But their future hopes are dashed when their squat is raided and many, including Jimmy, are sent to prison. Pregnant and with no word from Jimmy, Judith is forced to enter an unmarried mothers’ home, give up their baby and learn to live with her grief. 

“More than half a century later, Judith’s Mending Shop restores broken treasures, just as Judith herself has been bound back together by her late, much-missed partner, Catherine. But her tranquillity is shattered when Jimmy—so different and yet somehow the same—reappears, yearning to unpick the painful past.

“Realising they each know only half of the other’s story, Jimmy and Judith finally break the silence that tore apart what might have been their family. Amid heartbreak and hope, how much can now be mended?” 

Hornsley commented: “We were so impressed with Victoria’s vision for When I First Held You and I’m very excited about this new chapter of Anstey’s publishing journey.” 

Harris added: "This is the most important story I have ever written and I’m so grateful to be working with a publisher who so enthusiastically embraces its themes.”