The Household, along with a further two novels, was acquired by Sophie Orme, publishing director at Zaffre and Manilla Press, from Juliet Mushens. The Household will be published spring 2024 in hardback, e-book and audiobook.

For The Bookseller, Stacey commented: “Nothing excites me more than discovering women’s stories that have been consigned to a dusty drawer of history, and when I came across Urania Cottage, the ‘house of fallen women’, I knew I had to write about it.”

Sophie Orme said: “Publishing Stacey Halls has been a highlight of my career. Her books marry irresistible storytelling, captivating characters and incredible writing, as well as giving voice to women from history who lived on the very margins of society. So I’m excited to bring her many fans The Household next spring. It will be Stacey’s first new novel in three years, and is her very best to date. I’m also delighted to have signed up another two books from Stacey following The Household. Our partnership with Stacey and Juliet is a special one and we can’t wait to see what incredible stories she comes up with next."

Juliet said: “Stacey’s writing goes from strength to strength and The Household feels like her best book yet."

About The Household:

The novel is based around Urania Cottage, the home for fallen women established in 1847 by Charles Dickens and funded by his friend Angela Burdett Coutts. The inmates – all young women – were plucked from prisons, workhouses and the streets, and given an opportunity to reform, learning skills and forming friendships at the house at Shepherd’s Bush, before emigrating to the colonies to begin new lives.

It follows two girls at the home, Martha and Josephine, as well as the eminent figure of Miss Coutts, who privately is plagued with her own demons. The publisher says this is Halls’ “most ambitious and captivating novel yet”.