Rebecca Perry's Booker-nominated novel nearly missed U.S. publication

Rebecca Perry, a poet and prison literacy charity worker, saw her debut novel, "May We Feed the King," shortlisted for the Booker Prize after the book nearly went unpublished in the United States. The novel is released in the U.S. by Transit Books, an imprint based in Berkeley.

Perry, who resides in London, described the U.S. acquisition process as unexpected. Before the book received critical acclaim, no American publisher had expressed interest. Marigold Atkey, an editor at Daunt Books in London, informed the Transit team of the title. Perry noted that Atkey said, "You should read this book. No one's publishing it in America."

Ashley Nelson Levy, publisher and editor at Transit Books, confirmed the team acted on the recommendation before the major awards recognition arrived. Levy stated via email that she finished reading the manuscript over a weekend and immediately recognized its quality. The novel features two narratives: a contemporary curator staging scenes for museums and a reluctant king living in a palace. Levy praised the work for creating pathways toward understanding loss through history and storytelling.

Perry said she was surprised by the shift in public response. After its initial U.K. release earlier this year, sales remained steady for literary fiction before the book was longlisted for the Booker Prize. Perry described the change in momentum as occurring within the space of a week.

The author, who has a background in poetry, developed the novel from two separate short stories. One story concerned a woman obsessed with replica food, and the other focused on a young attendant. Perry merged the narratives, creating a structure where it remains ambiguous whether the curator is imagining the king's story or reconstructing it from archival scraps.

Perry discussed her research process, which included visiting historic buildings to study staged scenes and examining replica food products. She also referenced a website used in the book for purchasing these items. The novel explores themes of power, refusal, and the reliability of historical records.

The Booker Prize shortlist announcement will take place on Nov. 9 during a livestreamed event in London. Perry will be named alongside authors Marlon James, Elizabeth Strout, and Douglas Stuart. The author expressed feeling "really pleased" to be nominated, noting that the position feels "massive" given the prestige of the award.