W&N pre-empts second novel from David Thewlis

Actor David Thewlis’ second novel, a "darkly comic exploration of the creative mind", has gone to Weidenfeld & Nicolson in a pre-empt. 

Federico Andornino, publishing director at Weidenfeld & Nicolson, acquired UK and Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada, for Shooting Martha from Jonny Geller at Curtis Brown. It will be published in hardback, export trade paperback, e-book and audio on 5th August 2021. 

The novel is described by W&N as “a darkly funny and ultimately devastating story set between a London film set and a villa in the south of France”. 

The synopsis reads: “Celebrated director Jack Drake can't get through his latest film, his most personal yet, without his wife Martha's support. The only problem is, she's dead. When Jack sees Betty Dean – actress, mother, trainwreck – playing the part of a crazed nun on stage in an indie production of 'The Devils', he is struck dumb by her resemblance to Martha. Desperate to find a way to complete his masterpiece, he hires her to go and stay in his house in France and resuscitate Martha in the role of 'loving spouse'. 

“But as Betty spends her days roaming the large, sunlit rooms of Jack's mansion and her evenings playing the part of Martha over scripted video calls with Jack, she finds her method acting taking her to increasingly dark places. And as Martha comes back to life, she carries with her the truth about her suicide – and the secret she guarded until the end.” 

Andornino said: “It has the gripping tension of Hitchcock’s ‘Vertigo’, shot through with a delicious mix of dark humour and tenderness that is entirely David’s own. There is so much readers are going to love in Shooting Martha, but what truly moved me is David’s skill at capturing the beating heart of his characters – their secret desires and selfish motivations offered on the page without judgement.” 

Thewlis said: “Shooting Martha is a darkly comic exploration of the creative mind, both expressive and interpretive: a director disturbed by the shooting of his autobiographical final film and an actress suffering the psychological consequences of investing too much in a role. It is a world I know very well and themes that have affected me personally. It is about fidelity, loss, confession and redemption. It is also, I hope, hilariously unpredictable and boldly entertaining.” 

Thewlis' debut novel, The Late Hector Kipling, was published by Picador in 2007.

Thewlis first became known in 1993 when starring in Mike Leigh's film “Naked”, for which he won a Cannes Film Festival award. He is known for his portrayals of Remus Lupin in the Harry Potter film series and Sir Patrick Morgan/Ares in “Wonder Woman” as well as numerous appearances in other films and shows. He was nominated for an Emmy Award, Critics' Choice Television Award and Golden Globe Award for his role in the TV series “Fargo”.