Grey by EL James has hit our shores

Copies of EL James’ new novel Grey have made it into NZ and are now being distributed around the country in time for publication day the Thursday 18th June- a date that devotees may remember as Christian’s birthday.

Since the publication of Fifty Shades of Grey in 2011, thousands of readers have written to James requesting Christian's point of view. On the opening page of Grey: Fifty Shades of Grey as Told By Christian, James writes, “This book is dedicated to those readers who asked…and asked… and asked… and asked for this."  In the new work, she will offer her fans the opportunity to see the world of Fifty Shades anew through the eyes of its intriguing and enigmatic protagonist.

“Christian is a complex character,” said James, “and readers have always been fascinated by his desires and motivations, and his troubled past. Also, as anyone who has ever been in a relationship knows, there are two sides to every story. It’s been a great pleasure to return to my happy place – writing, being with Christian and Ana in their universe, and working with the fantastic publishing teams in the US and the UK.”

Readers know Christian as someone who exercises control in all aspects of his life. His world is neat, disciplined and empty – until the moment that Anastasia Steele stumbles into his office. What is it about her that captivates him? Why can't he forget her? He is swept up in a storm of emotion he cannot comprehend and cannot resist.

‘Fifty Shades of Grey is a love story that has captivated a readership like no other book’ says Selina Walker, Arrow publisher and E L James’ UK editor.  ‘I was absolutely thrilled when we heard that Erika wanted to write Christian’s side of the story. Grey is just as addictive as the trilogy, and I know that this is what the fans have been waiting for.’

The Fifty Shades trilogy – Fifty Shades of Grey, Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed – has reached worldwide sales of more than 125 million copies, and become one of the most successful publications in the history of book publishing. Like the earlier books in James's trilogy, Grey will be published in paperback original format and as an ebook by Arrow Books, an imprint of Cornerstone Publishing, a division of Penguin Random House.