William Collins triumphs in auction for Rachel Wilson's 'moving' book on grief

William Collins has triumphed in a four-way auction for a "moving exploration of grief and the experience of bereavement in early adulthood" by the founder of The Grief Network, Rachel Wilson. 

Assistant commissioning editor Jo Thompson bought UK and commonwealth rights, excluding Canada, to Losing You(ng): How to Grieve When Your Life is Just Beginning from Lisette Verhagen at PFD. The book will be published in hardback, e-book and audio in spring 2023. The Grief Network is a community run by and for bereaved young people from their teens to 30s with meet-ups and events in London.

The publisher said: "Weaving together a range of experiences to explore what happens when youth is reshaped by tragedy and trauma, Losing You(ng) originated in Rachel’s own experience following her mother’s death the day after her 26th birthday. Drawing on psychology, interviews and deep research, this is a personal and profound book about mourning a lost future, fumbling for identity and feeling less alone."

Thompson said: "To me, this felt immediately like a book that had been missing from shelves. Rachel’s own story and observations are incredibly moving, but I was also struck by how broadly she was prepared to think – interviewing others, talking to experts, considering all the strange tentacles grief has in a modern world. She’s a wonderful, precise, determined researcher who is committed to writing a book that speaks beyond her own story. I’m very proud to be publishing it and see it as a go-to book that might comfort and illuminate the path for many people in the future.

Wilson said: "When my mother died, I felt alienated – an experience made worse by the total absence of distinct support or representation of early adulthood bereavement. I wished someone could push a book into my hands that would guide me and make me feel less alone. I hope Losing You(ng) will be that book, exploring not only the distinct experience of grief in early adulthood, but what it’s like to navigate grief in a modern world. I am thrilled to be working with Jo and the team at William Collins, who immediately had the same vision and enthusiasm for this book as I do."