The screen adaptation will be written by the 2013 Man Booker Prize winner, and will be produced as a six part drama series for the BBC.
The 832-page novel, set in New Zealand during the mid-1800s, tells the tale of a man who sets out to the South Island settlement of Hokitika to try and make his fortune during the gold-rush years. He’s instead drawn into a complex mystery behind a series of unsolved crimes.
The Man Booker Prize judges described it as a “Kiwi Twin Peaks”.
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The 832-page book was the longest work to win in the Man Booker Prize’s history.
The novelist told the BBC she felt “absurdly lucky” to be working on the project.
“Learning to write for television has been a bit like learning a new musical instrument: The melody is more or less the same, but absolutely everything else is different,” she said.
“I’m having enormous fun, learning every day, and just so excited to see the world of the novel created in the flesh.
Her first novel, The Rehersal, was also recently adapted for the screen by fellow New Zealand novelist Emily Perkins. The movie starred acclaimed Boy actor, James Rolleston.
The film debuted this year at the New Zealand International Film Festival and received widespread critical acclaim.
Filming for the new project will begin in 2017 on location in New Zealand.
