Soon Wiley’s WHEN WE FELL APART to be published April 2022
Soon Wiley’s debut When We Fell Apart will be published by Dutton in April 2022.
North American rights were acquired in a ‘major’ deal at auction by Lindsey Rose at Dutton and UK rights were acquired at auction by Bethan Jones at Simon & Schuster.
When We Fell Apart is a moving and suspenseful drama about a young Korean American man’s search for answers about his girlfriend’s mysterious death becomes a soul-searching journey into his own bi-cultural identity.
It has received some wonderful praise:
“Propulsive and deeply felt, Soon Wiley’s phenomenal debut When We Fell Apart takes on the friction between family bonds, cultural expectations, and personal desires in a way that feels both urgent and intensely real. Even as I raced through the pages to find out what happened to Yu-jin, for me the true heart of the book was Min, and his search for a sense of belonging that neither America nor Korea is quite able to offer him. His story is truly unforgettable.”
— Abi Daré, New York Times bestselling author of The Girl with the Louding Voice
“In this gorgeous, poignant meditation on identity, love, and desire, Soon Wiley illuminates the liminal state of being biracial, of belonging but not, of desperately wanting the world to let you be as you are. When We Fell Apart will stay with me for a long time. “
— Angie Kim, bestselling author of Miracle Creek
‘A lyrical exposition on what it’s like to be biracial, with one foot firmly planted in two distinct worlds, never completely fitting in, but capable of seeing what others do not. A lonely, heartbreaking, spellbinding story of love, self-discovery, and belonging.’
— Jamie Ford, New York Times bestselling author of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
“Melancholic, atmospheric, and consistently surprising. Like Norwegian Wood, there is a minor key running through this love story played out on the frenetic and lonely streets of Seoul. When We Fell Apart is a transportive and poignant debut.”
— Susie Yang, New York Times bestselling author of White Ivy
“A ravishing neo-noir about the search for identity in modern-day Seoul, When We Fell Apart dazzles like neon on a rainy night. In lush, perfectly-tuned prose, Soon Wiley leads readers around dark corners and into the heart of a kaleidoscopic city, unraveling the mystery of one young woman’s tragic death through the eyes of a haunted outsider. This is a magical debut.”
— Amy Gentry, bestselling author of Good as Gone and Bad Habits
“When We Fell Apart is so expertly plotted and paced, told in prose so lean and lucid that it’s hard to believe that this book in my hands is a first novel. It’s thrilling, deeply human, heartbreaking. It’s equal parts mystery and exploration of identity and duality. What isn’t hard to believe is that Soon Wiley is writer we’ll be hearing from for years to come. “
— Michael Knight, author of Eveningland
“The business of being yourself is anything but simple, and Wiley’s powerful novel knows it.”
— Peter Behrens, award-winning author of Carry Me
“When We Fell Apart is an absolutely mesmerizing and important novel, delving into all sorts of issues that everyone will find relatable. This book is a page-turner, propelling the reader toward the conclusion, which is both surprising and perfectly rendered when reached. A bravado debut.”
— Don Lee, award-winning author of Yellow and Country of Origin
Sarah Underwood’s LIES WE SING TO THE SEA sold in ‘major’ pre-empt
We are delighted to announce Paper Literary’s first deal.
Sarah Underwood’s debut novel, Lies We Sing to the Sea was sold in a ‘major’ pre-empt to Stephanie Stein at HarperTeen. UK rights were sold in a six figure pre-empt to Lindsey Heaven and Sarah Levison at Farshore. Rights have been sold in Italy (Mondadori), France (Casterman), Spain (Anaya), Russia (Mann, Ivanov & Ferber), and Korea (Yibom).
Lies We Sing to the Sea is a sapphic, feminist reimagining of The Odyssey, in which a failed oracle and a vengeful immortal must break the curse on their kingdom by killing its prince.
Underwood said: “I am unbelievably thrilled to be working with Sarah, Lindsey, Stephanie and everyone at Farshore and HarperTeen. Their enthusiasm for Lies We Sing to the Sea blows me away, and to be published alongside so many fantastic authors is such a childhood dream come true. I’ve always loved that Greek mythology is so deeply rooted in oral storytelling. Myths are made to be pulled apart and put back together, and I wanted to continue this tradition by giving voice to Melantho—one of the Odyssey’s 12 slaughtered maids—and sharing the story I always felt she deserved. I’m so grateful to HarperCollins—and, of course, my brilliant agent Catherine Cho at Paper Literary—for giving me the opportunity to do so.”
Levison added: “The Fates were truly on our side the day that Lies We Sing to the Sea sailed into our inboxes. This stunning novel, inspired by The Odyssey, has it all—fantasy, passion, mystery, romance and drama—and is astonishingly accomplished for a young debut writer. Sarah Underwood has an incredible author career ahead of her as one of the biggest names in YA and crossover publishing, and we’re delighted that Electric Monkey can once again be part of this very special story.”
Stein commented: “Sarah’s sapphic, feminist riff on Greek mythology is a YA debut for the ages. She has taken a single forgotten thread from The Odyssey and spun it into a spectacular tapestry of myth, magic, romance and destiny. It absolutely swept me away in its current, and I defy anyone to read it without falling in love (or shedding a tear). I could not be more thrilled to be launching Sarah’s YA career at HarperTeen.”
Underwood recently graduated in computational bioengineering from Imperial College London and will be starting her Masters at the University of Cambridge this autumn.
Lies We Sing to the Sea will be published in Winter 2023.