Summersdale signs Coffey's debut on grief and mythology

Summersdale has signed Enchanted Islands: A Mediterranean Odyssey Through Love, Grief and Mythology by Laura Coffey.

Senior commissioning editor Debbie Chapman acquired world English language rights excluding US, Canada and the Philippines from Jess Molloy at Curtis Brown, and the book will be published on 2nd May 2024.

Enchanted Islands tells the true story of the author’s journey around the islands of the Mediterranean, combining memoir, travel and nature writing with tales from The Odyssey.

The synopsis says: "Seeking solace from the pain of heartbreak and her father’s illness, Laura Coffey embarks on what was meant to be a simple holiday.

"But her newfound fascination with ancient Greek myths transforms her trip into a six-month odyssey, around tiny archipelagos and mystical Mediterranean islands thought to be the setting of Odysseus’s epic journey, her quest to find happiness, safety and the true meaning of home is overshadowed by the deepening illness of her father.

"Returning as he’s dying, forced to confront the very things she was running from, Laura reflects on what she has lost, how to live between story and reality, and the way we craft our own mythologies."

Chapman said: “Weaving grief, love and loss together with an exploration of mythology and feminism, Laura’s take on the stories of The Odyssey is accessible and irreverent.

"She writes with an incisive wit about narcissistic heroes, insecure sex goddesses and the toxic masculinity of Greek gods, combining this with lyrical travel writing that will transport readers to the wildly beautiful islands of the Mediterranean.”

Coffey added: “Re-tracing this mythical voyage through real life islands became a way of anchoring my own journey as I moved across an unsettling world, feeling lost and disconnected. As I travelled, I was re enchanted by the wild beauty of the world, finding solace in tiny joys like bird watching, cold sea swimming and star-lit night skies. I started to consider how we all live between story and reality, and how myths can be maps, as I looked for the places where geography and imagination collide.”