Arrow has won a three-way auction to acquire a high-concept domestic thriller CURFEW by Jayne Cowie.
Editor Jennie Rothwell acquired UK and Commonwealth rights to CURFEW plus one further novel from Ella Kahn at Diamond Kahn and Woods Literary Agency. North American rights have been pre-empted by Jen Monroe at Berkley, PRH US, via Allison Hellegers at Stimola Literary Studio on behalf of DKW.
CURFEW is a high-concept feminist domestic suspense that asks the question – are women ever truly safe? Fast-paced, thought-provoking and darkly clever, CURFEW causes us to pause and think about the society we live in.
Sarah is the reason her husband is in prison, but now he’s about to be released. Cass hates her mum for tearing their family apart, but does she know the whole story? Helen idolises her boyfriend and wants a baby more than anything. But the signs are there, is she just too caught up to notice them? Curfew was introduced to keep women safe and live without fear, but what if Curfew isn’t as reliable as it seems? And what if Curfew doesn’t protect you from the ones you think you know. What happens then?
Jayne Cowie lives in Stevenage with her husband and two teenage children. CURFEW is her first domestic suspense novel.
Jayne Cowie says: ‘I had been debating writing a novel which explored feminist ideas for a long time, and when #MeToo exploded, I couldn’t put it off any longer. CURFEW questions what would happen if women collectively said no. I am absolutely thrilled that CURFEW has found a home with both Arrow and Berkley, and I’m looking forward to working with Jennie and Jen and their teams in the UK and US.’
Jennie Rothwell says: ‘Jayne’s writing is so captivating and I was immediately drawn into the possibility of what would happen if half the population lived under curfew, whilst the other half could live without fear or worry, and whether this was sustainable. Unnervingly relevant to the present world, CURFEW is a challenging and incredibly impactful novel, exploring themes that will spark conversations.’
Ella Kahn says: ‘CURFEW is an incredibly special book from a brilliantly talented author: gripping, thought-provoking, eerily resonant, entirely original and darkly plausible. Both Jennie at Arrow and Jen at Berkley immediately grasped the potential of the unique combination of twisty domestic suspense and feminist dystopia, and I couldn’t be happier to be working with them to make CURFEW a huge success!’
Arrow will publish in ebook and paperback in March 2022.
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