Picador bags O'Hare's 'rowdy' coming-of-age story

Picador has bagged Thirst Trap, a "superb" Belfast-set novel from Gráinne O’Hare. 

Editor Orla King acquired UK and Commonwealth and audio rights from Jenny Hewson at Lutyens and Rubenstein. The novel will be published in summer 2025. 

"I knew Gráinne was talented from very first pages of her novel, and I’m so glad that she has found the perfect home with Orla King and the team at Picador," said Hewson.

The synopsis for Thirst Trap reads: "Maggie, Harley, and Róise have spent their 20s careering around the bars of Belfast with riotous abandon, the wine cheap and the memories priceless. However, the three of them used to be four; and now, one year on from a tragic accident, they are still shaken by the sudden death of their best friend Lydia.

"The memory of the last and worst fight they had with her hangs heavy over their heads as they struggle to process their loss, afraid to let go of the home and the life they shared together, and now the three women each find the nights becoming wilder and the days more full of regret." 

King commented: "Gráinne explores all of the drama with insight and sharp humour, and a voice that feels alive on every page. Poignant, funny and often painfully relatable, Thirst Trap is a rowdy coming-of-age story for the 20-somethings of today and I am delighted to be welcoming Gráinne to Picador." 

O’Hare is currently completing a PhD on 18th-century women’s life writing at Newcastle University and received the North Debut Award for Fiction from new Writing North in 2022. She was awarded Arts Council funding in 2023 for the development and completion of her first novel. O’Hare said: "Although this is a story about fear and loss, I knew I also wanted it to be full of warmth, hope and humour.

"The novel has evolved so much as I’ve learned and grown as a writer; I’m grateful to my agent Jenny for having faith in it so early on, and for her all her insight and enthusiasm."