New Delhi: Pakistani author Fatima Bhutto’s new novel The Runaways launches today (October 24) in India and Pakistan.

Bhutto’s newest novel is about a modern Muslim identity in a world full of violence. From the slums of Karachi to life in Portsmouth, the story follows three individuals who cross paths in the middle of a desert – forcing them to make difficult decisions.

The synopsis for the book reads:

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.

Fatima is the daughter of Murtaza Bhutto, niece of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and granddaughter of former Pakistani Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto.

Her previous notable works include The Shadow of the Crescent Moon and Songs of Blood and Sword.