Overview

An exquisitely written novel following three brilliantly memorable characters on their path to radicalisation, from one of Pakistan's most influential figures Anita lives in Karachi's biggest slum. Her mother is a maalish wali, paid to massage the tired bones of rich women. But Anita's life will change forever when she meets her elderly neighbour, a man whose shelves of books promise an escape to a different world. On the other side of Karachi lives Monty, whose father owns half the city and expects great things of him. But when a beautiful and rebellious girl joins his school, Monty will find his life going in a very different direction. Sunny's father left India and went to England to give his son the opportunities he never had. Yet Sunny doesn't fit in anywhere. It's only when his charismatic cousin comes back into his life that he realises his life could hold more possibilities than he ever imagined. These three lives will cross in the desert, a place where life and death walk hand-in-hand, and where their closely guarded secrets will force them to make a terrible choice.

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9780241347010

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Reviews

A tender, powerful and richly embroidered novel from a courageous storyteller. From Karachi's slums to England's promises, (through connected cities and intersecting destinies), Bhutto's new novel will move you with its profound wisdom and sharp grasp of our turbulent times. Behind The Runaways, there is clearly a brilliant mind and a generous heart at work. -- Elif Shafak This is a bold and probing novel, from a writer strikingly alert to something small and true * Guardian * Every page of this is priceless. I can't think of a better guide through the world we live in. I've never used the word transformative before, but I just did now. -- Gary Shteyngart A powerful and moving book. It is a book that anyone rushing to condemn young people for being radicalised should read. -- Anne Youngson, author of 'Meet Me at the Museum' As compassionate as it is trenchant, this rare fiction is an illuminating guide through the great disorder of our times. -- Pankaj Mishra, author of 'Age of Anger' Dazzling . . . a novel that holds up to scrutiny a world of claustrophobic war zones, virulent social media and cities collapsing upon themselves, and then sets it down again, transformed by the grace of storytelling -- Siddartha Deb, author of 'The Point of Return' Bhutto's heady narrative flits through time and space with a sense of urgency, tracing three disparate young lives, each drawn into the realms of radicalisation, amid the dust of the Iraqi desert * Vogue * The themes of radicalism (of all sorts) is a thread that runs through the lives of the characters representing the complexity of ideology and the perpetual human search for meaning. Eloquent and erudite...a treat to read -- Rafia Zakaria, author of 'The Upstairs Wife' The Runaways is a book we should all read for it holds up a clear mirror to the way societies in many parts of the world are shaping, moulding, distorting and deforming the young. It is a book we all need. -- Jerry Pinto, author of 'Em and the Big Hoom' A big-hearted, beautiful novel. I read it with awe. Fatima Bhutto has an unflinching eye and a unique voice. -- Mohammed Hanif, author of 'A Case of Exploding Mangoes' A shocking, moving and deeply compassionate novel * Vogue * Highly topical . . . The Runaways offers an unflinching look at the key subjects of our time and the riveting story of three memorable characters * Financial Times * An incisive and empathetic study of adolescent alienation and the social conditions that drive radicalisation * Tank Magazine * An unflinching look at generational ambition and betrayal * inewspaper * A timely read that does a brilliant job of depicting the human cost when violence shifts from abstraction to reality * Mail on Sunday Event Magazine * Provocative and resolutely compassionate * Traveller *

Provocative and resolutely compassionate * Traveller * A timely read that does a brilliant job of depicting the human cost when violence shifts from abstraction to reality * Mail on Sunday Event Magazine * An unflinching look at generational ambition and betrayal * inewspaper * An incisive and empathetic study of adolescent alienation and the social conditions that drive radicalisation * Tank Magazine * Highly topical . . . The Runaways offers an unflinching look at the key subjects of our time and the riveting story of three memorable characters * Financial Times * A shocking, moving and deeply compassionate novel * Vogue * A big-hearted, beautiful novel. I read it with awe. Fatima Bhutto has an unflinching eye and a unique voice. -- Mohammed Hanif, author of 'A Case of Exploding Mangoes' The Runaways is a book we should all read for it holds up a clear mirror to the way societies in many parts of the world are shaping, moulding, distorting and deforming the young. It is a book we all need. -- Jerry Pinto, author of 'Em and the Big Hoom' The themes of radicalism (of all sorts) is a thread that runs through the lives of the characters representing the complexity of ideology and the perpetual human search for meaning. Eloquent and erudite...a treat to read -- Rafia Zakaria, author of 'The Upstairs Wife' Bhutto's heady narrative flits through time and space with a sense of urgency, tracing three disparate young lives, each drawn into the realms of radicalisation, amid the dust of the Iraqi desert * Vogue * Dazzling . . . a novel that holds up to scrutiny a world of claustrophobic war zones, virulent social media and cities collapsing upon themselves, and then sets it down again, transformed by the grace of storytelling -- Siddartha Deb, author of 'The Point of Return' As compassionate as it is trenchant, this rare fiction is an illuminating guide through the great disorder of our times. -- Pankaj Mishra, author of 'Age of Anger' A powerful and moving book. It is a book that anyone rushing to condemn young people for being radicalised should read. -- Anne Youngson, author of 'Meet Me at the Museum' Every page of this is priceless. I can't think of a better guide through the world we live in. I've never used the word transformative before, but I just did now. -- Gary Shteyngart This is a bold and probing novel, from a writer strikingly alert to something small and true * Guardian * A tender, powerful and richly embroidered novel from a courageous storyteller. From Karachi's slums to England's promises, (through connected cities and intersecting destinies), Bhutto's new novel will move you with its profound wisdom and sharp grasp of our turbulent times. Behind The Runaways, there is clearly a brilliant mind and a generous heart at work. -- Elif Shafak

"A tender, powerful and richly embroidered novel from a courageous storyteller. From Karachi's slums to England's promises, (through connected cities and intersecting destinies), Bhutto's new novel will move you with its profound wisdom and sharp grasp of our turbulent times. Behind The Runaways, there is clearly a brilliant mind and a generous heart at work. -- Elif Shafak This is a bold and probing novel, from a writer strikingly alert to something small and true * Guardian * Every page of this is priceless. I can't think of a better guide through the world we live in. I've never used the word ""transformative"" before, but I just did now. -- Gary Shteyngart A powerful and moving book. It is a book that anyone rushing to condemn young people for being radicalised should read. -- Anne Youngson, author of 'Meet Me at the Museum' As compassionate as it is trenchant, this rare fiction is an illuminating guide through the great disorder of our times. -- Pankaj Mishra, author of 'Age of Anger' Dazzling . . . a novel that holds up to scrutiny a world of claustrophobic war zones, virulent social media and cities collapsing upon themselves, and then sets it down again, transformed by the grace of storytelling -- Siddartha Deb, author of 'The Point of Return' Bhutto's heady narrative flits through time and space with a sense of urgency, tracing three disparate young lives, each drawn into the realms of radicalisation, amid the dust of the Iraqi desert * Vogue * The themes of radicalism (of all sorts) is a thread that runs through the lives of the characters representing the complexity of ideology and the perpetual human search for meaning. Eloquent and erudite...a treat to read -- Rafia Zakaria, author of 'The Upstairs Wife' The Runaways is a book we should all read for it holds up a clear mirror to the way societies in many parts of the world are shaping, moulding, distorting and deforming the young. It is a book we all need. -- Jerry Pinto, author of 'Em and the Big Hoom' A big-hearted, beautiful novel. I read it with awe. Fatima Bhutto has an unflinching eye and a unique voice. -- Mohammed Hanif, author of 'A Case of Exploding Mangoes' A shocking, moving and deeply compassionate novel * Vogue * Highly topical . . . The Runaways offers an unflinching look at the key subjects of our time and the riveting story of three memorable characters * Financial Times * An incisive and empathetic study of adolescent alienation and the social conditions that drive radicalisation * Tank Magazine * An unflinching look at generational ambition and betrayal * inewspaper * A timely read that does a brilliant job of depicting the human cost when violence shifts from abstraction to reality * Mail on Sunday Event Magazine * Provocative and resolutely compassionate * Traveller *"

Author Information

Fatima Bhutto was born in Kabul, Afghanistan and grew up between Syria and Pakistan. She is the author of several 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 books are The Runaways, a novel, and New Kings of the World, a non-fiction reportage on popular culture and globalisation.

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