Verso snaps up 'glorious' debut from independent filmmaker Biller

Verso has snapped up a “glorious” debut novel from independent filmmaker Anna Biller. 

Cian McCourt, commissioning editor, acquired world English language rights to Bluebeard’s Castle directly from the author. It will publish in September 2023.   

Bluebeard’s Castle is a contemporary gothic suspense novel. It takes inspiration from the folk tale “Bluebeard”, novels such as Rebecca, Dracula and Jane Eyre, and from classic Hollywood thrillers such as "Gaslight", to examine issues about male violence and female desire.

The synopsis says: “While on holiday in Cornwall, Judith, a young, wealthy British mystery writer, meets and falls in love with Gavin, a handsome and charming baron. His love transforms her from a plain, lonely girl into a beautiful, glamorous woman overnight. After a whirlwind honeymoon in Paris, he whisks her away to a Gothic castle in the countryside. But soon her perfect marriage begins to fall apart and she finds herself trapped in a nightmare, as her husband’s mysterious nature, and his alternation of charm and violence, become more and more confusing and frightening.” 

McCourt said: “Anna Biller is a true auteur, and this unique debut novel has all of the vision, detail and charm that brought her films such acclaim. It’s a glorious exercise in tone and style, with an arch ambiguity to its plot and all the meticulously composed melodrama of a Douglas Sirk picture.”