This 25-Year-Old Could Be The Next Big Writer

If you're the bookish person in your circle who likes to hear about new talent before anyone else, here's news that you're going to want to put on your radar. Look out for 25-year-old Emma Cline's debut novel, The Girls, which just sold to Random House for a rumored seven figure book deal. In a 12-publisher auction, Random House won the bidding war and acquired a three-book deal with the young author. A round of applause, please.

While not explicitly based on Charles Manson and his homicidal “family” The Girls is set in Marin County, California in the summer of 1969 (sound familiar?) and centers around Evie, a 14-year-old who falls into a commune and under the sway of the mad but charming cult leader. I’m so excited by this premise because if the cult leader bears a resemblance to the real Charles Manson, it should be a fascinating character study. If you’ve ever fallen into the YouTube abyss and watched prison interviews with Manson, you might be struck by how sane and articulate (and yes, evil) he appears. Cline has a lot of interesting source material, that's for sure.

Cline has already garnered some recognition for her talent, including winning the 2014 Paris Review George Plimpton Prize for Fiction for her story "Marion" (translation: this is a big deal). Her book isn't the only thing making a splash, however: Scott Rudin has already bought the film rights for The Girls — the debut novel seems to have the makings for a great movie, too.

A little more on Cline: She's a graduate of the Columbia MFA fiction program, and is a fiction reader for the New Yorker. Oh, and if you’re not already impressed with the upcoming author, read the essay she wrote for Oprah about living in a shed in her friend’s Brooklyn backyard. Maybe you can ask her for help with your plumbing and your writing when she's got a little free time circa never.

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