Oldcastle Books scoops 'moving' debut novel from Guardian journalist Kalia

Oldcastle Books, with Practise Music, has scooped A Person Is A Prayer, an "intensely moving" novel from Guardian journalist Ammar Kalia.

Sinead Mills, director at Practise Music, acquired world English language rights from Seren Adams at United Agents. The novel will be published in 2024.

Recently shortlisted for the Unbound Firsts Prize, A Person Is A Prayer is a "lyrical and often funny" book about the Bedi family as they travel from Kenya and India to England. The novel follows the family over three days in six decades.

Mills commented: "With his own ties to the three countries that the novel is set in, Ammar is able to provide an informed and meaningful study of people and place, mirroring his own experiences, lived and imagined. We are thrilled to be working together with Oldcastle on this riveting debut from a hugely talented new author."

Kalia added: "I am delighted that my debut novel, A Person Is A Prayer, has found a home with the immensely thoughtful and dedicated team at Oldcastle Books. The book is based on my family’s own journey from India to Kenya to England. It explores how a family strives to care for each other and search for happiness through these multiple migrations and the ever-shifting nature of home. Our lives have been transient and largely undocumented, so all we have to hold on to are our stories and our language."