Manilla Press snaps up Amélie Skoda’s 'vibrant' debut novel Bethnal Green

Manilla Press has acquired a “vibrant” and “essential” novel by debut author, Amélie Skoda. Entitled Bethnal Green, an earlier draft was shortlisted for the 2021 Mo Siewcharran Prize.

World rights were sold to Salma Begum by Abi Fellows when she was at The Good Literary Agency and all other rights are now via DHH Literary Agency. Zoe Yang, commissioning editor at Manilla Press, will see the novel through to publication on 30th January 2025.

Set in the 1970s, Bethnal Green follows Suyin Lim as she makes the brave move from her family home in George Town, Penang to London’s East End, following her sister who left for the same path a year before.

However, without warning, her sister returns to Penang as a shadow of her former self and Suyin is forced to leave without any answers. Suyin soon finds herself starting a new life in London, falling in love with the vibrant city and its people and as she immerses herself in the gruelling but rewarding work of caring for her patients, she begins to understand what she really wants out of life.

Yang said: “Weaving themes and characters, Bethnal Green is a vibrant coming-of-age story that is a real love letter to dedicated NHS workers from around the world, whose work touches countless lives every day.”

Skoda said: “Bethnal Green is about nursing and making a home in another country – an essential piece of our social history which I’ve rarely seen represented in fiction – as well as freedom, sacrifice, and female agency. I’m so thrilled to be working with Zoe and the team at Manilla Press and Bonnier, who have been so supportive and passionate about publishing Bethnal Green. I’m also grateful to Abi Fellows for championing this story from the very beginning.”

Fellows said: “At a time when the NHS feels more valuable and more vulnerable than ever, it is an honour to represent this fictional story of a young woman arriving in the UK from Malaysia to train as a nurse. I am delighted to have found a home for Suyin’s tale at Bonnier.”