Moor moves to Manilla Press for 'uncompromising' second novel

Jessica Moor has moved to Manilla Press for her second novel, Young Women, billed as “uncomfortable, uncompromising, and set to be the most fiercely debated book of 2022”.

Sophie Orme, publishing director at the Bonnier Books UK imprint, acquired UK and Commonwealth English-language rights from Marilia Savvides at 42 Management and Production. Young Women will be published in hardback, e-book and audio in May 2022.

The book “is a razor-sharp novel that slices to the heart of our most important relationships, and asks how complicit we all are in this world built for men,” the publisher said. Its synopsis explains: “When Emily meets the enigmatic and dazzling actress Tamsin, her life changes. Drawn into Tamsin's world of Soho living, boozy dinners and cocktails at impossibly expensive bars, Emily's life shifts from black and white to technicolour and the two women become inseparable.

“Tamsin is the friend Emily has always longed for; beautiful, fun, intelligent and mysterious, and soon Emily is neglecting her previous life—her work assisting vulnerable women; her old friend Lucy—to bask in her glow. But when a bombshell news article about a decades-old sexual assault case breaks, Emily realises that Tamsin has been hiding a secret about her own past. Something that threatens to unravel everything...”

Moor's debut Keeper (Viking) saw her named as one of the Observer's top 10 debut novelists of 2020. She said: “I’m so honoured and excited to be publishing Young Women with Manilla Press. Since Manilla Press started last year, they have published so many extraordinary, provocative and important books. I’m delighted to work with Sophie and the rest of the team, who are all at the top of their game.”

Orme commented: “I’m so excited to welcome Jessica Moor to Manilla Press. Jessica was selected as an Observer Best Debut Novelist in 2020 and her new novel Young Women is everything I look for in contemporary fiction: gripping, arresting, relevant—a book you just can’t stop thinking or talking about. A powerful novel with an intoxicating voice, it tells the story of an intense female friendship that becomes riven with secrets.”

Savvides added: “We could not be more thrilled to have found a home with Sophie at Bonnier. From the very beginning, her enthusiasm and love for Jessica’s beautiful work was evident. We’re so excited for readers to discover and discuss Young Women.”