A&U acquires Milligan’s second novel

Allen & Unwin (A&U) has acquired world rights to Shellybanks by Louise Milligan, via Jeanne Ryckmans at Key People Literary Management.

Returning to the world of Milligan’s debut Pheasants Nest, Shellybanks centres Kate Delaney returning to her home in Dublin to support her grieving Aunt Dolores, where she learns of her aunt’s past involving a cult-like organisation, said the publisher. ‘Shellybanks is a gripping novel about trauma, survival, and the courage of women facing the shadows of Ireland’s past.’

Born in Ireland and now based in Australia, Milligan is an investigative journalist for ABC TV’s Four Corners. She is also the author of Cardinal (Melbourne University Publishing), which won the 2017 Walkley Book Award and the 2021 Victorian Premier’s Literary Award’s people’s choice prize; and Witness (Hachette), which was shortlisted for the 2021 Stella Prize.

Milligan said, ‘Shellybanks is a deeply personal book about how, like the tides at a little Dublin beach called Shellybanks, trauma has a way of sneaking up and catching up with you. While it delves into a dark and unjust world inspired by some of my journalism, it also explores the Ireland my mother and her sisters grew up in, the Ireland of my childhood, the modern Ireland that has emerged, and the experience of being caught between cultures. Its publication is a profoundly emotional experience for me.’

Publisher Cate Paterson said, ‘Louise Milligan is a fearless author. She has found an enthralling way to continue our heroine’s story from Pheasants Nest that leads us into Ireland’s history, including on the extreme fringes of Catholicism. Through the voice of Dolores, Louise has been able to extol the virtues of her birthplace, without shying away from its tragic past. The result is an emotionally impactful and hopeful reading experience.’

Allen & Unwin plans to publish Shellybanks in Australia and New Zealand in March 2026.

Photo credit: Hugh Stewart.

Category: Local news Rights and acquisitions