British author of Nigerian and Jamaican descent Yrsa Daley-Ward has a debut novel on the way! In an exclusive news story, PEOPLE magazine reports that The Catch, releasing on June 3, 2025, will be published in collaboration with Well-Read Black Girl, the popular literary community founded by Glory Edim, in partnership with Liveright, an imprint of W. W. Norton & Company.

The novel follows twins Clara and Dempsey, haunted by the mysterious disappearance of their mother, Serene, into the River Thames during their childhood. When Clara spots a woman identical to her mother who seems untouched by time, a journey unfolds—one that explores identity, motherhood, and the transformative potential within Black women. See full synopsis below:

Twin sisters Clara and Dempsey have always struggled to relate, their familial bond severed after their mother vanished into the Thames. In adulthood, they are content to be all but estranged, until Clara sees a woman who looks exactly like their mother on the streets of London. The catch: this version of Serene, aged not a day, has enjoyed a childless life.

Clara, a celebrity author in desperate need of validation, believes Serene is their mother, while Dempsey, isolated and content to remain so, believes she is a con woman. As they clash over this stranger, the sisters hurtle toward an altercation that threatens their very existence, forcing them to finally confront their pasts—together. In her riveting first foray into fiction, Yrsa Daley-Ward conjures a kaleidoscopic multiverse of daughterhood and mother-want, exploring the sacrifices that Black women must make for self-actualization. The result is a marvel of a debut novel that boldly asks, “How can it ever, ever be a crime to choose yourself?”

Daley-Ward is known for her acclaimed memoir The Terrible and her collaboration on Beyoncé’s Black is King. She shares with PEOPLE that The Catch is a reflection on “the world beneath the surface of women’s lives” and the unchosen paths that linger in our minds. “It’s a journey of peeling back layers,” she says, “to confront the haunting question: What if?” Glory Edim, Well-Read Black Girl’s founder, calls the book “beguilingly genuine” and a perfect fit for their inaugural publishing venture, which aims to bring diverse and powerful voices to the literary world.

Preorders for The Catch are now available!