The Borough Press nabs Crystal Jeans' Great Expectations-inspired family drama

Suzie Dooré, editor-at-large for The Borough Press, has acquired UK and Commonwealth rights in Accidental Darlings by Crystal Jeans, from Sue Armstrong at the C&W Agency. 

Accidental Darlings is loosely inspired by Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations and set in the 1920s and 1930s. It follows orphaned Anastasia as she is sent from Wales to live with her notorious aunt in a ramshackle old manor house in the English countryside. "As they circle each other warily, Ana realises that the Aunt (she thinks of her with an imposing capital A) may hold the key to many family secrets, including exactly how Ana’s father died," the publisher said. 

This will be Jeans’ second book with Borough, following The Inverts. 

Jeans, who is based in Pontypridd in south Wales, said: “I’m so happy to be working with the Borough team again; it was such a pleasure last time and how fantastic to find a home with a publisher who gets me.” 

Dooré said: “If you’ll pardon the pun, Crystal is such a gem in Borough’s crown. Like The Inverts, this new novel is warm, hilarious and action-packed, and the 1920s and 1930s setting is brilliantly evoked and peopled with eccentric, fascinating characters. A joy to read and a joy to edit.” 

Armstrong said: “When Crystal delivered Accidental Darlings I knew I was in for a treat. Not only does Crystal’s writing make me roll with laughter, but she also has a way of crafting characters that are so utterly mesmerising, so deliciously flawed and outrageous and yet deeply, strikingly relatable.”  

Jeans published her first two books with Welsh indie publisher Honno Press: the Polari-shortlisted The Vegetarian Tigers of Paradise and Light Switches are My Kryptonite.