Daily Times

Awais Khan launched his debut novel In the Company of Strangers in the United Kingdom earlier this year and this was followed by several launch events in Dubai that left the audience hungry for more of his writing.

The author is also the founder of The Writing Institute, a platform that helps all aspiring authors polish their skills as well as advise them on getting published. Currently residing in Lahore, Pakistan, Awais is currently working on his third book and is set to publish his second soon.

In The Company of Strangers has been rated a solid 4.45 on Goodreads and has received rave reviews from several renowned authors including Faiqa Mansab, author of This House of Clay & Water who termed it as, “Fierce and compelling, a novel to be savoured, a debut to cherish.”

The story revolves around Mona, a woman who has almost everything, money, friends and social status… everything except freedom. Languishing in her golden cage, she craves a sense of belonging. Desperate for emotional release, she turns to a friend who introduces her to a world of glitter, glamour, covet affairs and drugs. There, she meets Ali, a physically and emotionally wounded man, years younger than her. Heady with love, she begins a delicate game of deceit that spirals out of control and threatens to shatter the deceptive façade of conservatism erected by Lahori society, and potentially destroy everything that Mona has ever held dear. (blurb)

The story revolves around Mona, a woman who has almost everything, money, friends and social status… everything except freedom. Languishing in her golden cage, she craves a sense of belonging. Desperate for emotional release, she turns to a friend who introduces her to a world of glitter, glamour, covet affairs and drugs

The novel has two different covers for both the UK and Indian editions and they beautifully depict the exotic culture of the country. The story also brings some of the ins and outs of the country’s modelling industry and explains everything one has to go through while working as a model- both the highs and lows. It also paints a vivid picture of Lahore’s drawing room discussions and how it is to live in a house where everyone is against you. The more sensitive topic of terrorism is touched upon with fearless clarity and the author manages to give a voice to people we ever thought to connect with, ones who are driven to join terrorists groups out of desperation, confusion or fear.

Beautiful and enthralling, a story that paints a vivid picture of what it’s like to live in Lahore, amid the glamour of the upper class while portraying a much more sombre reality as well. The novel beautifully captures all of the prejudices and opinions that are held by Pakistani society as well as the mental and physical abuse suffered by a huge percentage of its female population. It delves into the idea of what drives a person to join a terrorist organization, both are concepts many tend to stray away from while writing. It talks about what it means to be a prisoner in your own home, to be driven to do things you normally would not do, and then living with the consequences. The novel is scheduled to release in Pakistan next year and is considered to be one of the most anticipated reads of 2020 by many.

The author is a marketing student and can be reached at minaalmohsin@hotmail.com