Serpent’s Tail pre-empts Padamsee's ‘perfect British debut’ England is Mine

Serpent’s Tail has scooped Nicolas Padamsee’s "brave, timely and original" first novel England is Mine. Editorial director Luke Brown pre-empted UK and Commonwealth rights from Holly Faulks at Greene and Heaton.

The novel, which will be published in hardback and e-book in April 2024, is set in contemporary London. It takes the reader "on a frightening journey into online radicalisation" through the lives of two teenagers.

According to the publisher, Padamsee was inspired by his personal experience of growing up as a second-generation immigrant on the outskirts of London. The book is also informed by the author’s more recent experience running the Art Against Extremism project, which he launched to promote art as a means of investigating and countering radicalism.

Brown said: "This is a perfect British debut, engaged with online radicalisation in an urgent and original way as it explores how echo chambers of the right and left place us dangerously close to extremism. Nicolas is sensitive, insightful and courageous, and his two teenage protagonists – boys becoming men online – will stay for a long time in the memories of readers of England is Mine."

Padamsee holds a Creative Writing MA and a Creative & Critical Writing PhD from the University of East Anglia, and is the editor of Arts Against Extremism, a website promoting literature as a means of understanding and defeating extremism.

He added: "I’m thrilled that England is Mine has found a home at Serpent’s Tail, whose original, risk-taking titles have helped shape my view of what fiction can and should do. In Holly Faulks I have a dream of an agent and in Luke Brown I now have the ideal editor. I can’t wait to work with him and the rest of the team."