WestWords acquires Lee’s debut novel

WestWords Books has acquired adult novel Bound by Samantha WL Lee.

Set in four countries – China, Malaysia, Britain and Australia – and extending over more than a century, Bound tells the story of three generations of women trying to escape their pasts. “Bound to tradition but with a dream for their future, their lives interweave across time,” said the publisher.

Lee is a Chinese-Australian writer of literary fiction, essays and poetry. She was shortlisted for the WestWords/Ultimo Prize for her manuscript and completed the WestWords Fellowship in 2023. She has been shortlisted in multiple Needle in the Hay flash fiction competitions and published in SBS Voices and FemAsia Magazine.

Publisher Michael Campbell described the novel as “[an] evocative, beautifully written debut exploring the legacy of our families and the traditions that shape us – how we both embody and try to flee from the ties that bind as we look to shape our own future and destiny.

“The past and the future are both terrible and joyful, and the way Samantha writes is full of compassion and deep humanity. It is an epic tale of family, love, death, identity, and the search for a better life. Even if I wasn’t her publisher, I would say it is a must-read.”

Lee said, “I was inspired by the stories of my mother, one of which was about an aunt in Malaysia who had her feet bound, then unbound once the laws changed. I couldn’t help but wonder what this meant for her and her family. Bound is about how the past impacts the present and our identity.

“More than this, it’s about how much of who we are is made up of the stories we are told and the stories we tell ourselves.”

Westwords has scheduled Bound for release March 2026.

Category: Local news News Rights and acquisitions