Héloïse Press, a Canterbury-based indie publisher of literary fiction specialised in contemporary female narrative, has acquired Breaking Milk by Dawn Garisch from Karavan Press.

With its focus on intimate, visceral and powerful narratives, Héloïse Press publishes books that bring together women’s issues and literary sophistication.

This vision makes it a superb UK home for Breaking Milk, Garisch’s seventh novel, and a finely wrought meditation on motherhood, not only in personal and human terms, but also with regard to ourselves as destructive children of the Earth.

The Héloïse Press edition has a provisional publication date of April 2024 and will be distributed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and India.

“I am delighted to bring Dawn Garisch, one of the finest South African women writers of the moment, to our readers,” says Aina Marti, publisher and founder of Héloïse Press. “Breaking Milk is our first South African title, and an excellent story about a middle-aged woman and her relationship with maternity, nature and science.”

Breaking Milk was originally published by Karavan Press in 2019. It was shortlisted for the prestigious Sunday Times Fiction Prize and reprinted several times.

“I am thrilled that Breaking Milk by Dawn Garisch, one of the first novels we published at Karavan Press, has found a home with Héloïse Press and look forward to working with Aina Marti. Ever since I started reading the exceptional books she publishes at Héloïse Press, I have been an admirer. I hope to strengthen our literary ties even more in the near future,” says Karina M. Szczurek, publisher and founder of Karavan Press.

About the book

Don’t come, Kate is told by her only child. Jess is keeping her mother at a distance on the day that her own children, conjoined twins, are to be separated during high-risk surgery in London.

Kate wakes on her farm in the Eastern Cape, torn between respecting Jess’s wishes and a longing to rush to her estranged daughter’s side.

A former geneticist disillusioned by the pressing ethical questions posed by her job, Kate is now an award-winning maker of organic cheese. She relies on the farm’s routine and the people and animals in her life to hold steady as her day teeters on a knife’s edge.

Meanwhile, her employee Nosisi’s son is undergoing initiation. Forbidden to have contact with him during this traditional passage into the world of manhood, his mother anxiously awaits his return.

Breaking Milk, Dawn Garisch’s seventh novel, is an evocative exploration of the divisions and connections between humans, animals, and the environment.

Details

Publication date: September 2019

Extent: 176 pp

Publisher: Karavan Press

World English rights excluding South Africa, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and India available. Translation rights available.