Delacorte Press is set to release The Glass Girl, a new YA novel from Girl in Pieces author Kathleen Glasgow. Glasgow’s editor Krista Marino, v-p and senior executive editor at the Random House imprint, acquired North American rights from agent Julie Stevenson at Massie & McQuilkin Literary Agents. The Glass Girl is scheduled to publish on November 12 with a first printing of 250,000 copies.
The novel follows Bella, a young woman who numbs the escalating pressure of her family life with alcohol but believes she’s in control of her substance intake. After a night of drinking lands Bella in the hospital, she enters an in-patient rehabilitation center where she faces the realities around her relationship with alcohol and the circumstances that led to her binge drinking.
“I wanted to write about adolescent addiction and how it begins and eventually consumes the young protagonist’s life,” Glasgow said in a statement. “Bella’s experience is a glimpse into the human capacity for growth, change, and the ability to overcome adversity.”
Glasgow’s works often touch on difficult subject matter such as self-harm and addiction. In a conversation with PW, Marino cited the author’s “incredible, vulnerable honesty” in her storytelling as reasons why readers continue to return to Glasgow’s books.
Glasgow emphasized this idea during Random House’s recent sales conference where she shared how a lot of readers don't have language for their trauma or their current situation, Marino recalled. “And when they read books like [Kathleen’s], it gives them language,” she said.
Such books include Glasgow’s 2016 novel Girl in Pieces, which recently saw revitalized sales after becoming a #BookTok darling. Last year, Girl in Pieces hit two years on the New York Times young adult paperback bestseller list with the help of its online success. TikTok’s impact is a “godsend” according to Marino, for its authentic word-of-mouth recommendations that help readers find titles they’ll love.
“I know that [a trend] from TikTok that people have identified [is a love for books] that wrecked them.” Marino said. “I think the thing about Kathleen’s books is whether or not you see yourself in them, you have empathy. And you just feel this authentic connection to the emotional roller coaster that you're reading.”
Emotional connectivity seems to be a common thread through Glasgow’s work, as Glasgow said in a statement. “The Glass Girl cultivates empathy and understanding for those facing addiction and recovery—encouraging a more compassionate view of individuals dealing with such challenges.”
