Sussie Anie

Sussie completed her Ink Academy course in 2017, with tutor Marina Kemp. She was subsequently signed by literary agent Juliet Mushens, and received a two-book publishing deal with Phoenix, an imprint of Orion. Her first published novel is To Fill a Yellow House.

About TO FILL A YELLOW HOUSE:

A timely, beautifully evoked and deeply moving story of identity, community and belonging – and an unlikely friendship that changes two lives forever.

When Kwasi and his family move abruptly from one side of London to the other, he sets out to explore his new home. Escaping the watchful eyes of Ma and Da and his irrepressible Aunties, he discovers the local high street and a hidden river. Back at the yellow house, he spends hours drawing, distracting himself from thoughts of the new school that awaits.

As the years pass, the high street remains a source of fascination for Kwasi. But behind the ever-changing shopfronts, it’s a different story. Business is slow and times are getting tougher. Widower Rupert has been trying to hold on to the dreams he and his wife poured into their eclectic charity shop, The Chest of Small Wonders, but now he is close to giving up.

One October night, Kwasi finds himself in trouble and takes refuge in the Chest, and an unexpected friendship begins. As he and Rupert unite to save the shop, they each find a sense of belonging. But old patterns are hard to change, and as tensions around them escalate, difficult choices lie ahead.

Lyrical, witty, moving and timely, TO FILL A YELLOW HOUSE is a story of community, friendship and the power of creativity and connection. It is as vibrant and surprising as the city it is set in and marks the arrival of a bright and bold new talent.

‘Original and tender, it is an exquisite, absorbing and buoyant story of vulnerability and companionship, the redemptive power of friendship, and the spaces we choose to belong’ –Buki Papillon, author of An Ordinary Wonder

‘I read Anie’s novel slowly, savouring every delicate turn of language, every sentence which thrummed with emotion. Following Kwasi and Rupert through this novel was often heartbreaking, but left me hopeful too. Reading this was nothing short of a joy’ – Caleb Azumah Nelson

Sussie Anie is a British-Ghanaian writer, born in London in 1994. Her writing has been published in Lolwe, and was shortlisted for the 2020 White Review Short Story Prize. She has an MA in Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia, where she was the recipient of the 2018-19 Kowitz Scholarship. TO FILL A YELLOW HOUSE is her debut novel and has been longlisted for the Authors’ Club Best First Novel Award.