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The wait's almost over, emphasis on the word almost.

Mohammed Hanif's next novel, titled Red Birds, has been acquired by Bloomsbury and will see the light of day in September 2018.

What we know about the plot so far: 'An American pilot crash lands in the desert, unprepared for any situation that can’t be resolved with the After Eight mints in his survival kit. Hallucinating palm trees and dehydrating isn’t Major Ellie’s idea of a good time, but he figures it’s less of a hassle than another marital spat back home. In a neighbouring refugee camp, Momo has his own problems; his money-making schemes aren’t working out as planned, his dog has ideas above his station and an academic researcher has shown up to study him for her thesis on the Teenage Muslim Mind. And then there’s the matter of his missing brother…'

Hanif's much-loved debut novel A Case of Exploding Mangoes was longlisted for the Booker prize and shortlisted for the Guardian first book award and Commonwealth literary prize. It won the Shakti Bhatt first book award. His second novel Our Lady of Alice Bhatti was shortlisted for the Wellcome Book Prize.

Faiza Khan, the editorial director of Bloomsbury India shares, "I’ve been a devoted admirer of Mohammed Hanif’s unique combination of wit, compassion and truth-telling since he first burst onto the literary scene in a landmark moment for South Asian fiction and I am very proud to be working with this immense talent."