Arrow bags novel from PRH Children's editor Sara Jafari

Arrow has bagged a novel about a young British Iranian woman living in London and navigating love, family and friendship from PRH Children's editor Sara Jafari, in a two-book deal.

The publisher acquired world rights to The Mismatch and one other novel from from Niki Chang while she was at The Good Literary Agency. It will be released in May 2021.

Its synopsis states: “Fresh out of university and ready to make her mark on the world (if only she knew what she wanted that to be) Soraya Nazari can’t help feeling like a fish out of water. Not least because she is the only 21-year-old she knows who has never been kissed. If Soraya can tick that off the list, surely everything will fall into place… The Mismatch follows Soraya as she strives to find her place in the world, and it also portrays the journey that her mother and father embark on when they meet in Iran in the 1970s and emigrate to the UK, and the complex reverberations that decision has on their family in the present day.”

Jafari is based in London and works as an editor within the PRH Children’s division. Her writing has been longlisted for Spread the Word’s Life Writing Prize and published in gal-dem and The Good Journal. Her essay on dating as a British Muslim woman was published in I Will Not Be Erased (Walker) in 2019. She also runs Token magazine which showcases writing and artwork by under-represented writers and artists.

Jafari said: “I’m so delighted and excited that The Mismatch has found a home at Arrow. I wrote The Mismatch because I wanted to explore some of the often unspoken about issues that come with being children of immigrants, and feeling mismatched within yourself, within a love story. The Mismatch is told in two points of view, one in modern day London, and another in 1970s Tehran. While it touches upon many difficult issues, at its heart it’s about two young women’s very different paths in finding themselves, religion and love.”

Publishing director Emily Griffin added: “The whole team at Arrow fell instantly for The Mismatch and for the relatable and complex characters at the heart of the novel. This is a book which brilliantly brings to life what it is to reach adulthood and to be no closer to feeling that you belong in the world—or to knowing how to make your mark in it. We are thrilled to welcome Sara to the Arrow list and we are itching to put into place our ambitious plans to launch her career as a novelist with the splash it deserves.”