Photo: Sveta Mishina
Graeme Macrae Burnet's latest novel, CASE STUDY, has been acquired by independent publisher Saraband in a hotly contested five-way auction. CASE STUDY will be the fourth of the author's novels to be published by the Salford-based press, including his 2015 Booker-shortlisted HIS BLOODY PROJECT.
Saraband’s MD Sara Hunt bought UK and Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada, from Isobel Dixon at Blake Friedmann Literary Agency, for an undisclosed sum. Michael Heyward of Text acquired ANZ rights, while Ellis Moore of Bolinda secured audio, also in a very competitive auction.
HIS BLOODY PROJECT has repeatedly been picked out as one of the outstanding novels of its decade and outsold the rest of the Booker shortlist in 2016. In his new book Burnet uses his playful ‘metafictional’ approach to present an enthralling, layered novel exploring 1960s psychiatry and society.
CASE STUDY consists of a series of notebooks apparently sent to the author in 2020 to aid his research into the forgotten 1960s psychotherapist Arthur Collins Braithwaite – a controversial contemporary of R.D. Laing. These notebooks reveal the story of a young woman convinced that Braithwaite is responsible for her sister’s suicide. Determined to get to the bottom of the charismatic therapist’s role in her sister’s death, she assumes an alter ego and presents herself as a client to him. And so begins a game of cat-and-mouse between therapist and patient, between author and reader, in a novel seething with secrets and teasing questions about the nature of identity itself.
Describing the novel as ‘complex, playful, clever, stylish and witty, complete with all of Graeme’s signature style and tricks, but also high-concept, with emotional depth, and utterly captivating’, Sara Hunt comments:
‘After an epic team effort with the creativity and hard work of my colleagues, I am over the moon that we’ve secured rights to this fantastic book. More than that, I can’t wait to resume our working relationship with Graeme, who is such a wonderful, warm, funny and talented person – a joy to work with in every way.’
She adds, ‘We are thrilled that Graeme has also agreed to be our Bookshop Champion for Bookshop Day on 3 October. He will be visiting bookshops either physically or virtually – as lockdown allows – to highlight the key role booksellers play in the lives of writers and readers.’
‘Graeme has been a prominent supporter of booksellers throughout his writing career. Next year, when CASE STUDY is launched, we’ll have some special surprises for booksellers (and, of course, readers) to look forward to.’
Graeme Macrae Burnet says: ‘I couldn’t be more delighted to be teaming up once again with the great teams at Saraband and Text. I was very gratified to receive a number of tremendous offers for the book, but Sara Hunt showed a passion and commitment to CASE STUDY that was simply irresistible. I can’t wait to get to work and look forward to seeing my new novel out in the world.’
Isobel Dixon says: ‘The battle for CASE STUDY was a truly extraordinary auction, for an extraordinary novel, all the bidders passionate about Graeme’s work. Saraband’s ingenuity and commitment was impressive and I’m delighted that Sara Hunt will be taking this forward, along with Michael Heyward of Text and Ellis Moore of Bolinda – strengthening old ties while breaking new ground with this brilliant book.’
CASE STUDY will be published in October 2021.
About the author
Graeme Macrae Burnet is the author of three acclaimed novels, including two titles in the Inspector Gorski series – THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ADELE BEDEAU, which won a Scottish Book Trust Writer’s Award and was longlisted for the Waverton Good Read Award, and THE ACCIDENT ON THE A35, which was longlisted for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2018 and the Hearst Big Book Awards – Harper’s Bazaar Modern Classics 2018. HIS BLOODY PROJECT, was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2016, won the Saltire Society Fiction Book of the Year Award and the Vrij Netherlands Thriller of the Year, and was shortlisted for the LA Times Book Awards. It has been published around the world and become a bestseller in several countries and languages.
HIS BLOODY PROJECT is optioned for film and for stage adaptation and Graeme Macrae Burnet’s work is published in 22 languages.
Praise for HIS BLOODY PROJECT
‘Spellbinding ... Riveting, dark and ingeniously constructed.’ – Edmund Gordon, Sunday Times
‘Brings an extraordinary historical period into focus, while the multiple unreliable perspectives are designed to keep the audience wondering, throughout the novel and beyond. This is a fiendishly readable tale that richly deserves the wider attention the Booker has brought it.’ – Justine Jordan, The Guardian
‘Burnet proves that the undeniable pleasures of the crime novel can be combined with real literary value and an experimental narrative structure... Burnet is a writer of great skill and authority.’ – Barry Forshaw, Financial Times
‘A gripping crime story, a deeply imagined historical novel, and gloriously written all in one tour-de-force of a book.’ – Chris Dolan, Book of the Year, The Herald
Praise for the Gorski novels:
‘Gripping and intelligent.’ – Philip Pullman
‘A strikingly singular talent, Burnet blends a gripping story with compelling characters and surprising sweeps of the imagination. This is an accomplished, elegantly written and exciting first novel.’ – Booktrust
‘Burnet skilfully knits together a solid detective story and a compelling character study to make a captivating psychological thriller.’ – Alastair Mabbott, The Herald