Crowther's 'gender-flipped' reimagining of The Great Gatsby
A modern, reimagined version of The Great Gatsby with a female protagonist has been captured by The Borough Press.
Commissioning editor Amy Perkins pre-empted UK and Commonwealth rights to @Gatsby, the first novel by film critic Jane Crowther, from Harry Illingworth. The retelling of F Scott Fitzgerald’s Jazz Age classic will be released in spring 2025.
The publisher explained the titular character is recast as a female social media influencer, and is narrated by young graduate Nic Caraway who finds herself tangled in "a mess of betrayal, intrigue and social scandal" when she befriends her famous neighbour, Jay. Borough said the novel "explores the very particular female experience of fame.It also serves as reminder of how pertinent Fitzgerald’s themes remain, even 100 years after The Great Gatsby’s first publication.”
Crowther is the editor-in-chief of Total Film magazine, the vice-chair of The London Film Critics’ Circle and a member of BAFTA and the Critics’ Choice Association. Her first non-fiction book, a celebration of cinema, will be published by HarperCollins in December 2024.
Perkins said: “The Great Gatsby is one of the most beloved novels of the 20th century, and so to take on an adaption of it is always going to be a challenging task. However, Jane’s clever use of the source material combined with her effortless style ensure that this is a novel that stands alone, even without its famous influence.”
Crowther said: "I began writing @Gatsby with trepidation; it seemed a foolish thing to attempt but I felt compelled to write it and I became as obsessed as my influencer protagonist. I wanted to explore Fitzgerald’s timeless themes of class, status, fragile dreams and betrayal through the modern lens of social media, toxic fame and cancel culture, and from a female perspective."
Illingworth said: “When Jane first pitched me the idea of @Gatsby I was both excited and nervous, such is the legacy of the classic and the place it holds in my heart, but I needn’t have worried. Jane pulled it off in style and what an update for our times this book is. It’s effortlessly classy and stylish, with truly gorgeous prose.”
From The Bookseller article | Heloise Wood