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William Collins acquires Smith’s ‘truly illuminating’ exploration of rural working-class life
Rebecca Smith’s debut book, Rural, described as “a big-thinking and beautifully written investigation into rural working-class life”, has been acquired by William Collins.
UK and Commonwealth rights were bought by acting commissioning editor Jo Thompson from Jenny Brown of Jenny Brown Associates. Publication is set for June in hardback, e-book and audio.
Bringing together memoir, history, nature writing and a sociopolitical perspective, Smith reveals the overlooked stories of the countryside.
The publisher said: "This is a book about communities and families, tied housing and fading or precarious ways of life. Smith traces the lives of farmers, foresters, miners, millworkers, builders and pub landlords but she also investigates the burning issues of the day, from the right to roam to how holiday lets have left villages empty, pricing local people out of the places they call home.”
Smith said: “I am so delighted that William Collins is publishing Rural. I was really keen to tell not just my own family’s story but those of other families too who, like us, grew up in rural areas in tied housing—homes that weren’t their own.
“It was a real honour to travel around Scotland, Wales and England meeting people and communities in similar situations, learning about their lives. And doing the bulk of the research pregnant or with a young baby certainly added another facet to the book. I hope Rural reaches people who don’t normally see themselves reflected in the pages of a book and I hope it expresses the love that people who work in rural areas have for the land, whether they own it or not.”
Thompson said: “I think most of us care deeply about the countryside but it’s funny how often it’s characterised as a place of escape for city-dwellers. In her book, Rebecca writes so honestly from both personal experience and research. I’ve learned about bygone trades and ingenious community schemes. I’ve been frustrated by social inequality and reassessed my relationship with Airbnb. This is a gorgeous, truly illuminating book—affectionate, perceptive and fascinating. I’m so happy to be publishing it.”
Smith worked for BBC Radio for over a decade, producing live and pre-recorded programmes and researching titles for BBC Radio 4’s "Book of the Week" and "The Fiction Serial".
