The House at the Edge of Night was published in the UK exactly a week ago, and now that I am back at home in Italy I thought I would tell you a little about it...

On Monday 16th May, ahead of publication, my publishers and I hosted a book launch at Lutyens & Rubinstein bookshop in Notting Hill. We served Italian food and sweets, Italian drinks and generally had a very happy evening celebrating the end of almost three years of work on the book. I made a short speech, and what I spoke about was community, and how as a writer you begin a book alone at your desk but end it surrounded by others, without whom the book could never have been completed. A sentiment which I think is appropriate for a beautiful independent bookshop like this, which is all about creating connections between readers and writers. So I thought, since most people who read this blog are also part of that community of readers, near and far, for whose support I am eternally grateful, that it was worth sharing what I said here too:

I spoke first about where the book began, for me, which was in many ways with the 2008 financial crisis. That event was the first global historical event of my adult life, and in the years that followed it made a profound impression on me, but I didn't see many writers of my generation writing about it. Toni Morrison once said, 'If there's a book you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.' It's a quote I love, and it explains where many books come from - from an absence, a gap in the bookshelf - including The House at the Edge of Night. Eventually, when I didn't find the book I wanted to read, I began to think about how I could write about that event, and in particular about what it was like to be young, and to live in a small town at the edge of Europe, in its aftermath. But as I began to research the book, the story turned into something quite different. Initially, I had wanted to find out what had led us to this point. But as I read more about the 20th century, I found that it was full of such moments when small places had been at the mercy of the European history beyond their shores, and that there was a much bigger story here to be told. That story, about one tiny place in particular, the island of Castellamare, over 95 years and four generations, became The House at the Edge of Night.

In many ways, the launch is only the beginning of the hard work. Publication is a long journey. To give you an idea, the book will be launched separately in the US on July 12th, and then it will be published in various different countries at different points throughout the autumn and winter, just in time for the English language paperback publication in the spring! So as a writer, there are many moments when you get the chance to present your work or share it with readers, and also many moments when your job is just to work alone, getting on with the next one. But nevertheless, the first publication in your home country is an important moment, the day that the book officially goes into the hands of readers to be read, appraised and (you hope!) loved.

If you want to hear more about the origins of the book, I also did a short interview for BBC Radio Jersey, which you can listen to here (from 01:42:00) and which I think gives a good ten-minute summary: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03sysqm 

And if you want to read some of the book, it's currently The Pool's Bedtime Bookclub read, which means you can read the first five chapters here: https://www.the-pool.com/arts-culture/bedtime-bookclub/2016/21/catherine-banner-the-house-at-the-edge-of-night

Thanks, as ever, for your support for the book, and for being part of that generous community of readers without whom writers' work would be meaningless.

All the best,
Catherine

​Exciting news: I am in London. I arrived on Wednesday and will be here for the whole of publication week. The House at the Edge of Night is out in just four days, which is hard to believe - like all long-awaited things, a book publication seems to approach at different rates the nearer you get to it. Publication day on Thursday 19th will be the culmination of three years of hard work, not just my own but also that of all the dedicated and passionate people who have embraced the book and become its champions. And here are just a few of them. One of my favourite moments of this week so far was definitely this one: meeting old and new friends from my publishers, Hutchinson, to celebrate the completion of our work together on the book (or at least, this part of it - some would argue that the real work is now about to begin).

​Now, the book is out of my hands and soon it will be in the hands of readers. And in fact, a few people have been reading it already. The House at the Edge of Night has already had some lovely mentions in Good Housekeeping’s list of books to look out for this month, and S Magazine’s best literary fiction of May.

And you can read a few early reviews here too, if you want to see what ordinary readers think of it rather than critics.
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And finally, if you want to get hold of a copy a few days ahead of the release date of Thursday, good news: tomorrow, Monday 16th May, my publishers and I will be holding a book launch from 6:30 to 8:30 at Lutyens & Rubinstein Bookshop in Notting Hill. UK readers, please come along and bring your friends for drinks, Italian-themed snacks, signed copies and a celebration of all things Italian in one of London’s most picturesque bookshops. I'm going to spend today tracking down all the Italian biscuits and sweets I can carry, so I hope it will be worth attending for that reason alone.

That's all for now, but more updates very soon.

The House at the Edge of Night is printed, ready and coming out in just thirteen days in the UK. So I thought this would be a good time to post an update about what’s going on with the book this month!

On Saturday, I’ll be packing my suitcases and travelling to London for publication day. The book is launched on the 16th, and the official publication date is the 19th, so the book will be available in bookshops very soon. And meanwhile I’ll be in the UK for two weeks signing books, visiting my publishers, and doing various other things, some of which I don’t yet know very much about myself. As an author, it’s hard to know what publication will involve until it happens, especially as many things, such as media interviews, are only finalised at the last minute. So I’ll post a definitive update next week with all the information about what I’ll be doing.

For US and Canadian readers, the publication date is 12th July, but I’m pleased to share the news that there are various ways to get hold of a copy ahead of time. My publishers, Penguin Random House, have already run two competitions via GoodReads, and this month The House at the Edge of Night is also going to be part of this eight-book summer reading giveaway which Penguin Random House will be running from the 6th to 20th May on their website: http://bit.ly/1Tt2orI . The other writers are Anna Quindlen, Martha Hall Kelly, Curtis Sittenfeld, Anton DiScalfani, Emma Straub, Emma Cline and Emily Giffin – I’m told that being one of the authors, and living in Italy, are both factors which disqualify me from entering, otherwise I would sign up myself just in the hopes of winning these seven brilliant authors’ books.

And since I’ve been trying to use social media lately to make an honest record of what it’s like to be a writer, I hope I can also share as much as possible of my own experience of the publication process via my Instagram project, #yearinthelifeofawriter, as well as here on the blog. Next time I write a blog post, The House at the Edge of Night will be in bookshops ready to be sold. It’s a scary and exciting thought...