This sensational thriller will be published by Borough Press, after a 10-way auction.
We are thrilled to announce the publication of Honey, a debut novel by Lucy Cavendish alumna Imani Thompson. The Borough Press (HarperCollins) has won the rights to Imani’s novel in a fiercely fought ten-way auction over the course of Frankfurt Book Fair. Publication is set for Spring 2026. The novel will be published internationally with US rights sold to Random House, Canadian rights to McClelland & Stewart, German rights to Rowohlt, and further translations to the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Latvia, and Ukraine.
Imani, who studied Sociology at Lucy, has crafted a darkly comic thriller that explores themes of race, gender, and violence with a unique and thought-provoking twist.
Reflecting on her time at Lucy Cavendish, Imani shared, "I was happy to be pooled to Lucy as, at the time, it was an all-female mature college and I loved how it spoke of supporting women in their studies. It was wonderful to be in an environment that really supported women who were returning to academia or just starting a little later, as can be more commonly the case for women."
Imani credits the College's supportive environment and diverse community with shaping her academic journey and ultimately inspiring her novel. "My academic life was definitely shaped by being surrounded by such interesting women who came from so many different places. Everyone at Lucy was genuine and curious and so smart!"
Honey tells the story of a PhD student juggling the demands of academia with a rather unusual sideline: murder. "My book is about a PhD student studying and teaching sociology (whilst murdering people on the side) so I couldn’t have written it without my time at university," Imani explains. "Cambridge taught me a huge amount about the world and the novel is very much underpinned both by the theory that I encountered whilst at Lucy, and the conversations I had with other students – some of which made it into the book."
But Honey is much more than just a thriller. Imani delves into complex social issues, drawing on her academic background to weave a narrative that is both entertaining and intellectually stimulating. "When I sat down to write I wanted to see if I could take the theory that I’d been so fascinated by at uni – critical race theory, Afropessimism, colonialism – and twist it into a plot that was serious and funny and accessible," she says.
Imani's time at Lucy Cavendish had a profound impact on her novel. "Studying sociology completely shaped this novel. It’s a book born out of, and a critique of, sociological theory, so I’m incredibly grateful to all of my teachers. There is also a lot about female friendship in the book which was very much drawn from my time at Lucy."
When asked about her advice for aspiring writers, she offers a pragmatic perspective: "This is perhaps slightly unconventional advice, but as writers know it’s incredibly hard to write a book and it can be even harder to get it published. I think it's important to remember that while literature is an art form, and that’s wonderful, it’s also big business. Thinking about how your book will be pitched or where it will sit on the shelf is just as important as thinking about your metaphors. This can feel frustrating, but I also think it’s fun to play with how the commercial meets the creative in the stories we write."
Congratulations to Imani on this fantastic achievement. We are incredibly proud to have her as part of the Lucy Cavendish community and can't wait to see what she writes next.