Claire Cheek

A forever English major, I love books that are critical, naturally analytical, and engaging. For fiction, I’m seeking books that keep me on my toes and have a sweeping plot paired with sharp writing. On the upmarket side, I’m interested in books like SUCH A FUN AGE by Kiley Reid; THE GREAT BELIEVERS by Rebecca Makkai; SEVERANCE by Ling Ma, or anything in vein of Celeste Ng, Lily King, or Emma Cline. If your comp is Sally Rooney, please send it my way! I’m always on the hunt for the perfect campus novel like THE IDIOT by Elif Batuman or THE SECRET HISTORY by Donna Tartt. I particularly love world building and anything that takes place in a distinct setting that works in tandem with the plot, and am partial to stories set in underrepresented geographical locations, like DEMON COPPERHEAD by Barbara Kingsolver. I’m also interested in mysteries like DIAL A FOR AUNTIES by Jesse Q Sutanto and soul-searching romance books in the style of Emily Henry. Even better if it’s a mystery/rom-com hybrid!

On the nonfiction side, I’m interested in voice-driven books that grapple with social and political issues from a unique lens (especially healthcare, tech, social justice, and science), like UNDER THE SKIN by Linda Villarosa and STRANGERS TO OURSELVES by Rachel Aviv; and anything narrative and topical that reaches millennial and gen-z audiences like TRICK MIRROR by Jia Tolentino and BOTTOMS UP AND THE DEVIL LAUGHS by Kerry Hawley. Regardless of genre or subject matter, I want to feel fully immersed in the world that the author builds. When my nose isn’t in a book, I’m typically exploring and cooking new recipes, knitting, swimming, and attempting to get better at tennis!

Areas of interest

• Upmarket fiction (family sagas, campus novels, issues driven, stories set abroad, unlikable narrators)
• Romance and mysteries (with a twist!)
• Healthcare, technology, mental health, and science
• Hybrid-memoirs and narrative nonfiction
• Journalistic and investigative nonfiction

Favorite writers

• Elif Batuman
• Elena Ferrante
• Hernan Diaz
• Barbara Kingsolver
• Katie Kitamura
• Ling Ma
• Ann Patchett
• Sally Rooney
• Donna Tartt

Submission Guidelines

Submissions should be emailed to claire.cheek@stmartins.com

I only accept agented submissions.