Andersen Press to publish Hiba Noor Khan’s ‘unforgettable’ novel as a super-lead title

Andersen Press has landed The Line They Drew Through Us, an “unforgettable” novel set against the backdrop of the Partition of India from Hiba Noor Khan. 

Eloise Wilson, senior commissioning editor, acquired world rights from Megan Carroll at Watson, Little Ltd for publication in spring 2025 as a super-lead middle-grade title. Publication will be supported with a “multi-faceted” marketing and PR campaign. 

The synopsis reads: “Three miracle babies are born on the same day; they become best friends. But on their 12th birthday, Jahan, Ravi and Lakshmi’s lives change forever. The British announce Indian independence and draw lines of Partition that tear apart the country, and the friends. One of them flees, one of them disappears, and the other is left wondering, could a miracle bring them back together?”

“Hiba has weaved an astonishing, heartbreaking and ultimately hopeful story of friendship and unity, against the devastating backdrop of the Partition of India,” commented Wilson. 

Khan said: “This book is a love letter of sorts, to the vast subcontinent that is my motherland. A mother from whom I have felt disconnected from and conflicted about for much of my life. Yet her vibrant colours and rich soils and unheard stories run deeply within me. My hope is that while this story shines a light on a significant and seismic moment from history that is relevant to all of us, that ultimately, through Jahan, Ravi and Lakshmi, it has a humanising effect.”