Scribe has acquired UK and Commonwealth rights in A Room Called Earth by Madeleine Ryan.
A woman gets ready to go to a party. She arrives, feels overwhelmed, leaves, but then returns. Minutely attuned to the people who come into her view and alternating between alienation and profound connection, by the end of the night her narrative reveals something new about what it means to be a human trying to communicate with others.
Associate Publisher Marika Webb-Pullman says: ‘A Room Called Earth is a book for the curious, the passionate, the questioning, and those who aren’t afraid to move through the world with an honesty that many people spend their lives running from. It portrays the difficulty we all feel at times when trying to relate to others, but also shows a narrator who is keenly attuned to her own needs. We can all learn something from her openness, radical self-acceptance, and no-bullshit attitude.’
Author Madeleine Ryan says: ‘A Room Called Earth doesn't mention autism — and a whole lot of other 'isms' such as feminism, veganism and mysticism — because I'm interested in the humanity beneath these kinds of labels, which has a habit of getting lost. I want to take readers on an adventure inside the mind of a young woman who is magical, sensitive, and honest. She's also curious and desiring of connection — just like anyone else — and she has the power to show us that, in the end, love is always more important than labels.
Neurodiverse authors are of tremendous value, because we offer a different way of seeing and relating to the world. So publishing our work is not only beneficial for us, it's beneficial for everyone.
I'm so excited that my debut literary novel, A Room Called Earth, is being published by Scribe. Their desire to care for and nurture my perspective, rather than turn it into a gimmick, or a novelty item, is incredibly humbling. They aren't interested in morphing the world that I've created into something that it's not. They want to celebrate it as it is. And to be placed alongside all of their other authors, and titles, is an incredible honour. I feel very blessed.’
UK and Commonwealth rights were acquired from Barbara Zitwer of the Barbara J. Zitwer Agency. A Room Called Earth will be published in the UK and in ANZ in the first half of 2021.