Now, with the eighth and final Seven Sisters book, Atlas: The Story of Pa Salt, set to be released in May 2023, Whittaker has shared a touching tribute to his mother, and revealed what it has been like taking over the reigns of the bestselling book series.
Upon the reveal of the official Atlas cover, Whittaker has penned a touching op-ed in The Bookseller, reflecting on what it has been like finishing his mother’s eight book epic.
‘I’ve always seen the process as a tribute’
Riley was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer in 2017, which ultimately took her life in June 2021. Whittaker, who is an established author himself and has already collaborated with his mother, revealed that in 2018, Riley asked him to complete the Seven Sisters series if the worst were to happen.
“After her death, there was no question that I would keep my word,” Whittaker writes in The Bookseller. “Many people ask about the monumental pressure of the task… I’ve always seen the process as a tribute. I’m doing it for my best friend and hero.”
As it turns out, Riley had already mapped out a plan for the end the series years ago, having kept a detailed timeline of Pa Salt’s movements across the decades. Whittaker promises that his mother had made sure that readers will feel “emotionally satisfied” with the end of the book.
“The novel itself is epic. It spans a lifetime of love and loss, crossing borders and oceans,” he reveals. “Atlas will reward those who have loved the novels since the beginning, but there is a new story to tell, too.”
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A Seven Sisters TV series?
Whittaker also hinted at the possibility of a Seven Sisters adaptation. In 2016, a Hollywood production company was in talks to make a Seven Sisters movie. Whittaker (who also oversees the late author’s intellectual property rights) says that while the 2016 trip to Hollywood “failed to bear fruit”, fans can expect a “big announcement” in 2023. A Seven Sisters TV series perhaps? Will millions of fans across the globe, there’s an appetite for it, for sure.
