Seven Dials has acquired in a three-way auction the “extraordinary” story of a man who survived decades of abuse at the hands of his ex-wife: Married to the Black Widow by Rob Parkes.
Vicky Eribo, executive publisher, acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from Charlie Brotherstone at Brotherstone Creative Management. Seven Dials will publish in hardback, e-book and audiobook on 20th July 2023. TV and film rights are under option with New Regency Television Intl and The Garden.
Rob Parkes and his now ex-wife, Victoria, met at university. Their relationship started off happily, however, it quickly descended into “a nightmare marriage of psychological manipulation, coercive control and emotional abuse”, the publisher said. Rob eventually left Victoria, “but even then, Rob could never really escape” the publisher continued, “culminating in approaches to several different men with requests to help her murder Rob”.
Previously featured in Channel 4’s highest-ever rating episode of “24 Hours in Police Custody”, Married to the Black Widow is described as “both a bone-chilling, real-life, psychological thriller and a powerful and honest true story of a father’s unrelenting battle for freedom and justice”.
Eribo said: “I was blown away by Rob Parkes’ story from the moment it landed in my inbox. With remarkable sensitivity and compassion, Rob manages to recount his extraordinary story in a way that is both incredibly compelling and moving. Highlighting important social issues, while never shying away from the raw truth of his own experience, Married to the Black Widow is also a rallying cry for men and women stuck in coercive relationships, and is sure to open up important conversations around fathers’ rights and the inherent biases of our court systems.”
Parkes said: “When Victoria was sent to prison, I could finally start to make sense of what had happened in our relationship. I realised that I had to find a way to come to terms with the unbelievable events in my life as my daughter needed me to find a way to talk about what had happened to us. So I did the only thing I could think of: I wrote it down. All of it. The good, the bad, the ugly and the beautiful. This is the story behind the story.”