The Runaways (Paperback) - Fatima Bhutto

This compelling, breath-taking read for fans of AMERICAN DIRT will make you question everything you thought you knew

One of the 'most important and prescient' books - Dolly Alderton and Pandora Sykes, The High Low

'Bhutto's new novel will move you' - Elif Shafak
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On the cusp of adulthood, three young people are about to make the most momentous decision of their lives.

Anita lives in Karachi's slums - fearful that her fate is to serve the rich, until an elderly neighbour offers her an escape into another world . . .

Monty belongs to Karachi's elite - his future is mapped out, until he meets a beautiful, rebellious girl . . .

Sunny is a Portsmouth teenager - he is suffocated by the love and expectation of his father, until his charismatic cousin shows him a way to be his own man . . .

These three paths are about to collide.

And when they do, Anita, Monty and Sunny will find themselves at the mercy of powers beyond their control, and faced with a choice that will change them forever.
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'This is a bold and probing novel from a writer strikingly alert to something small and true' Guardian

'Bhutto's new novel will move you its profound wisdom and sharp grasp of our turbulent times' Elif Shafak

'A shocking, moving, and deeply compassionate novel' Vogue

'Every page of this is priceless' Gary Shteyngart

'Stunning' Sunday Times

'Highly topical . . . The Runaways offers an unflinching look at the key subjects of our time' Financial Times

'A timely read that does a brilliant job of depicting the human cost when violence shifts from abstraction to reality' Mail on Sunday

'An illuminating guide through the great disorder of our times' Pankaj Mishra, author of Age of Anger

'Powerful and moving ... A book that anyone rushing to condemn young people for being radicalised should read' Anne Youngson, author of Meet Me at the Museum

'Provocative and resolutely compassionate' Traveller

About the Author

Fatima Bhutto was born in Kabul, Afghanistan and grew up between Syria and Pakistan. She is the author of six books of fiction and nonfiction. Her debut novel, The Shadow of the Crescent Moon, was long listed for the Bailey's Women's Prize for Fiction and the memoir about her father's life and assassination, Songs of Blood and Sword, was published to acclaim. Her most recent novel, The Runaways, was long listed for the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature. New Kings of the World, a non-fiction look at global pop culture, is her most recent book. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @fbhutto.