Becky Percival

Becky joined United Agents in 2020, after graduating from Durham University with a degree in English and French. Raised in rural Cheshire, her heart is still in Paris, where she did her year abroad, studying comparative literature and falling in love with the works of Annie Ernaux and Marguerite Duras. Though she continues to assist with Caradoc King's authors, she has started to build her own list, and is open to submissions of fiction and select non-fiction.

In literary fiction, she is drawn to novels and short writing that offer the reader astute physical and emotional observation, conveyed in well-crafted, succinct language. She is particularly interested in writing that manages to celebrate, or at least animate, the everyday. Writers that exemplify this include Graham Swift, Claire Keegan and Mary Oliver. When not looking for the beautifully ordinary, she enjoys plot that is playful, erring on outrageous, whether that is exploring taboo or an extraordinary tale. Good examples of this include ACTS OF SERVICE by Lillian Fishman and the work of Eliza Clark, Emma Cline and Ottessa Moshfegh. In that which is commercial, or leans toward book club, she requires a fierce voice, a propulsive plot, and often a sense of humour. She also enjoys what she refers to as 'incidental genre', whereby genre is not the focus, but rather something that adds colour and texture to a text.

Recently, she has enjoyed THE MOST by Jessica Anthony, KALA by Colin Walsh, and especially THE SAFE KEEP by Yael van der Wouden. She returns to LA FEMME GELEE by Annie Ernaux, PAUL TRANSFORMS INTO A MORTAL GIRL by Andrea Lawlor, MOTHERING SUNDAY by Graham Swift, MY BRILLIANT FRIEND by Elena Ferrante, as well as BRIDGET JONES' DIARY by Helen Fielding and everything ever written by Louise Rennison. 

In non-fiction, there must be a strong voice present, as well as drive. She doesn't like to feel like she is 'overtly learning', but rather 'magically acquiring knowledge'. This is usually done by utilising a strong narrative, but could also be done by way of interesting form, or exceptionally beautiful (novel-like) language. Good examples of this include WRITTEN IN BONE by Sue Black, IN COLD BLOOD by Truman Capote, and TESTO-JUNKIE by Paul B. Preciado.

Ultimately, whether fiction or non-fiction, she is after work that makes her smile and/or her stomach clench - and that she immediately wants to talk about.

Please don't send her children's, YA, SFF, saga, memoir (unless auto-fictionalised) or autobiography.