Hera Books has snapped up In The Shadows of Love, the sequel to In the Company of Strangers (Hera Books), from Awais Khan. 

Keshini Naidoo, co-founder and publisher, bought world English language rights (excluding audio, India and the sub-continent) from Annette Crossland at the A for Authors Agency. The novel will be published in autumn 2024. 

“I am absolutely delighted that Hera will be publishing this long-awaited sequel to In the Company of Strangers,” said Crossland. “Mona’s legion of fans across the world will be so excited to read her continuing story 10 years on.” 

In the Shadows of Love takes place 10 years after In the Company of Strangers, re-issued by Hera in the UK in 2022, and continues to follow Mona whose life is turned upside down by a mysterious text message.

Naidoo said: “I have long been a fan of Awais’ beautifully lyrical writing, and his multi-layered and thought-provoking novels really shine a light on communities in Pakistan that are so often closed off to the western reader… With his complex characterisation and accessible yet erudite plotting, this is a book that readers will be thinking about long after they turn the final pages, and we are so proud to be the publisher for this important and timely read.”

Khan added: “When I was writing In the Company of Strangers, I could never have dreamed that it would go on to find such a dedicated readership, both in the UK and the Indian subcontinent, and that readers would yearn to know what happens next to their beloved protagonist. Hera Books reissued the book with flair in 2022 and they are, without a doubt, the perfect publisher for the sequel. It is a joy to work with Keshini Naidoo and Iain Millar who have understood the book and its characters from the start.”