Random House has revealed the cover of David Mitchell’s next novel, “Slade House.” The story started out as a series of tweets and then morphed, Mitchell-istically, into a five-part novel.

“Scenes grew, bred and sprouted new scenes until The Right Sort passed the 6,000-word mark and announced itself as part one of a five-part novel,” Mitchell explained in a news release.

The book, the publisher said, has a petit square trim, about 5 inches by 7 inches. There is no jacket; the case is stamped with the title, author’s name and graphic keys. As you can see in the angled photo, the cover is die cut, with the square cutout revealing an illustrated staircase. The house’s full plan is revealed when the cover is lifted.

“Slade House” begins in 1979 and ends on Halloween 2015. The book is to be published just prior to that, Oct. 27, simultaneously in the U.S. and Britain.


Mitchell’s British publisher, Carole Welch, described the book as “a taut, spine-chilling, intricately woven, reality-warping tale that begins in 1979 and comes to its electrifying conclusion on Oct. 31, 2015.”

His publishers promised that fans of “The Bone Clocks,” Mitchell’s 640-page 2014 novel, will recognize a character who appears in both books.

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