Transworld acquires motherhood memoir from Margaret Reynolds

Transworld has bought memoir The Bright Field by Margaret Reynolds, professor of English at Queen Mary, University of London.

The deal for UK and Commonwealth rights was done via Robert Caskie at Robert Caskie Limited and the book will be published by Doubleday in hardback in spring 2021.

The Bright Field relates how Reynolds, experiencing early menopause in her 40s, decided to adopt a child. "But the preparation is arduous and the scrutiny is intense," the synopsis reads. "There are questions about past lives, about her own childhood, heritage, capabilities, expectations and identity."

The book touches on themes of motherhood, childhood trauma and what it takes to be a parent. 

Acquiring editor Helena Gonda said: "In writing about such a personal experience Margaret has uncovered universal truths about identity and belonging, and how these inextricably link to motherhood. She is such an exciting writer and I’m thrilled to be welcoming her to Doubleday."

Robert Caskie added: "Peggy is such an adventurous and clever writer. She interweaves her experience of the process of adoption, her memory of childhood and her life experiences to examine what it means to be a parent and to create a home.  It is wonderful to work with her and to find her such an understanding and talented editor as Helena.  Together they will produce a beautiful and thought-provoking book."

Reynolds said: "To be really heard by an editor as engaged and feeling as Helena is an exhilarating experience. Robert understood what I was trying to do and knew immediately how to shape and place a story which is at once strange and familiar, but which can transform a child’s life."

Reynolds is the author of The Penguin Book of Lesbian Short Stories, The Sappho Companion (Vintage) and Victorian Women Poets: An Anthology (Wiley-Blackwell).