Random House of Canada Selects Orange Prize Finalist for Inaugural eBook
Launch

TORONTO, June 15 /CNW/ - Random House of Canada announced today that Rosie Alison's novel The Very Thought of You, 2010 finalist for the UK's prestigious Orange Prize, will be made available in Canada immediately as an eBook. This marks the first time Random House of Canada has made an eBook available before the print edition. The Anchor Canada trade paperback of The Very Thought of You will go on sale in Canada on July 27, 2010.

"It is exciting that the eBook format allows us the opportunity to make Rosie Alison's prize-winning novel available to Canadian readers right away," said Brad Martin, President and CEO of Random House of Canada. "While we publish most eBooks simultaneous with the print edition, we are very open to opportunities such as this where it makes sense to bring out the eBook first. The market for eBooks in Canada is growing, and we are committed to bringing the work of our authors to Canadian readers in both digital and print formats."

Kristin Cochrane, Publisher of The Doubleday Canada Publishing Group, which includes Anchor Canada, first heard about the book from the agent while in London, England. Cochrane picked up a copy at the airport, read it on the trip home, and immediately made a pre-emptive offer to publish the novel in Canada. "I was incredibly moved by the writing and jumped at the chance to add the book to our list," said Cochrane.

A story of longing, loss and complicated loyalties, combining a sweeping narrative with subtle psychological observation, The Very Thought of You is not just a love story, but a story about love itself. The world is on the brink of war. As Hitler prepares to invade Poland, thousands of children are evacuated from London to escape the impending Blitz. Torn from her mother, eight-year-old Anna Sands is relocated to a large Yorkshire estate opened up to evacuees by an enigmatic childless couple. Soon Anna gets drawn into the couple's unravelling relationship, seeing things that are not meant for her eyes - and finding herself part-witness and part-accomplice to a love affair, with unforeseen consequences through her later life.

Orange Prize jury member Rabbi Julia Neuberger said: "The Very Thought of You was different from anything else we read ... I think it's brilliant!"

Visit www.randomhouse.ca/rosiealison for a list of eBook retailers.

About Rosie Alison

Rosie Alison grew up in Yorkshire and studied English at Keble College, Oxford. She spent ten years directing television documentaries before becoming a film producer at Heyday Films. Alison is married with two daughters and lives in London.

Praise for Rosie Alison's The Very Thought of You:

"A fantastic and beautiful description of an evacuee child in wartime. One of those books that you're likely to remember all your life." - Alexandra Shulman, Editor of British Vogue and member of the Orange Prize for Fiction 2010 judging panel

"Without question one of the best debuts I've read in recent years." - John Boyne, author of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

"Melancholic, mysterious and heartbreakingly gorgeous." - The Times (UK)

"A rite-of-passage novel...both enriched and haunted by the complicated and dangerous grown-up world of love...Elegantly constructed." - The Telegraph (UK)

"Moving...A sincere attempt to depict the reverberations of war - chronicling fractured relationships and the inability to love in the right way." - The Guardian (UK)

For further information: Ashley Dunn, Publicity Manager, Random House of Canada, 416-598-1114 x 238, [email protected]