Trapeze acquires ‘sensual’ debut novel shining a new light on non-monogamy 

Trapeze has acquired Open Season, the “sensual and thought-provoking” debut novel by author and journalist Cassie Werber, alongside another novel.

Editorial director Sareeta Domingo negotiated the deal for UK and Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada, with Emma Finn at C&W Agency. Open Season will publish in April 2024, with the follow-up novel due to publish in 2025.

Open Season centres on two couples who have decided to explore non-monogamy. The synopsis reads: “Hura and Cillian have a happy, secure marriage and are on the brink of planning a family. But when Hura’s teaching career gets derailed, they decide to explore a fantasy: opening up their relationship.

“Roses has never been monogamous, but has an electric connection with elusive James, who works all hours as a junior doctor. They both have secrets that make intimacy feel dangerous, and in a bid to reassert her independence, Roses suggests they sleep with other people. As both couples’ lives begin to entangle, each of them has to determine what constitutes stepping over a line when the conventional boundaries of their romantic bonds have been lifted.”

Alongside writing fiction, Werber is also a journalist and podcaster. She was a senior reporter at Quartz covering diverse topics ranging from workplace equity to climate change. She also co-founded the theatre company ChoppedLogic and two of her screenplays “Anmer” and “Rewild” were shortlisted for 4Screenwriting.

Commenting on Open Season, Werber said: “I’ve read a lot of novels where sexual betrayal – the act of a person sleeping with someone who isn’t their partner – is the plot’s main hinge […] I became fascinated by what would happen if ’sleeping with someone else’ wasn’t the end of the story, but the starting point.”

Domingo said: “Cassie’s exploration of the complexities of romantic and sexual human connection had me utterly gripped right from the outset – her writing is lyrical and compelling, and Open Season is delving into a topic that is exactly in line with Trapeze’s conversation-starting aims.”