'Enthralling' story about family secrets to World Editions

International fiction specialist World Editions is to publish Pierre Jarawan’s debut novel in English next spring.

In her first acquistion since joining World Edition in March, publisher Judith Uyterlinde bought world English language rights from Berlin Verlag for an undisclosed sum.

The German-Lebanese author’s novel, Am Ende Bleiden die Zedern (In the End the cedars remain), is the "enthralling" story of an exiled family in Germany, torn apart by a secret whose origins lie in the Lebanese civil war.

The novel has already sold 30,000 copies in Germany, the publisher said. World Editions will publish the English–language edition in the UK in May 2018 and in the US later in the year.

Uyterlinde said: "In the End, the Cedars Remain is a rich and skilful account of the devastating effects of a family secret and a son’s quest to untangle a toxic legacy of nostalgia, guilt and secrecy. It’s also incredibly topical in the light of the current refugee crisis. It has echoes of two books I published in the Netherlands – The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini and The Return by Hisham Matar.

"It is so rich in images, so full of life. It opened up a whole new world for me and made me feel as close to the characters as if they were my own friends or family. It also offered a far deeper understanding of the resilience of the Lebanese people. We are thrilled to make this a Lead title for Spring 2018."