#Merky Books snaps up debut author Wolfe’s ‘true masterpiece’

#Merky Books has snapped up Toya Wolfe’s "remarkable" debut Last Summer on State Street.

Assistant editor of Stormzy’s Penguin Random House imprint Tallulah Lyons acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from Meredith Kaffel Simonoff at the Gernert Company, previously at DeFiore and Company. 

The coming-of-age story about friendship, community and resilience, set in the housing projects of Chicago during a life-changing summer, will be published by #Merky in March 2023. It was first published in the US by HarperCollins imprint William Morrow in June.

Its synopsis reads: “An unlikely trio: Felicia ’Fe Fe’ Stevens, daughter of a fiercely protective mother; Precious Brown, daughter of a prominent church Elder; and Stacia Buchanan, daughter of a Gangster Disciple Queen-Pin. They have a simple friendship, wiling away sunny days with games of Double Dutch. But when Fe Fe invites mysterious Tonya into their fold, life as they know it will never be the same again.

“Set against the backdrop of Chicago’s Robert Taylor homes, Wolfe has drawn upon her own lived experiences growing up in the housing projects, and at its core, Last Summer on State Street is a story about the bonds, the connections, the ties, the braids of the kinds of people that Robert Taylor bonded.”

Wolfe said: “I am so honoured to join the #Merky Books family. I aspired to write a novel about a community who rarely sees themselves in print, so this is such a wonderful union. Last Summer on State Street is a novel about a very specific space on the South Side of Chicago, narrated by a woman who recalls her girlhood in vivid detail. This story will travel to the UK and beyond, and I am excited for the people of these countries, so far from State Street, to meet Fe Fe, Precious, Stacia, and Tonya.”

Lyons commented: “From the very first page, I was gripped by this remarkable novel. Last Summer on State Street is a simultaneously heart-breaking but heart-warming story, one that stays with you long after you’ve put it down. This is a book that I would urge everyone to read – Toya has written a true masterpiece and I am honoured that Toya has chosen #Merky Books as her UK literary home.”