Cheluchi Onyemelukwe’s breakout debut novel The Son of the House will be published in the UK and translated into Italian. Penguin USA announced the news on Twitter.

The Italian edition will be published by Europa Editions, the New York-based publishing group that introduced Elena Ferrante to the world.

The Son of the House is a story about female friendship. Two women brought together by an unfortunate event develop a bond in the course of their shared experience.

Onyemelukwe made a splash last year when The Son of the House won the International Fiction Book Award category for  2019 Sharjah International Book Fair in Dubai. [Read here if you missed it.]

Born in Nigeria in 1978, Cheluchi Onyemelukwe is a lawyer and academic with a key interest in health and women & girls advocacy. She holds a doctorate in law from Dalhousie University, Canada.

Cheluchi is thrilled by the news, as is evident in her Twitter response to Penguin’s announcement.

Brittle Paper congratulates Onyemelukwe!