New imprint Juniper comes out on top in auction for debut novel The Strangling Fig

Juniper has triumphed in an auction for the debut novel The Strangling Fig by Fauzia Musa, as well as one other work by the award-winning journalist and design consultant. 

Publisher Manpreet Grewal acquired UK and Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada, to both books from Laurie Robertson at PFD. 

Juniper is the new literary fiction imprint at Harper Collins and The Strangling Fig will be part of its launch list, being published in hardback, trade paperback, e-book and audiobook in summer 2026.

The Strangling Fig is a multi-generational novel, moving between the 1940s in India and Pakistan and from 2002 onwards in the US, which explores the lasting impact of Partition through the lens of one Muslim family.

Opening in 1946, Altaf is killed while advocating for Muslim rights during the creation of Pakistan. Decades later, Seher is visited by the ghost of her grandmother Ashraf; while initially a comforting presence, the apparition becomes more malevolent over the years. 

Musa said: "The Strangling Fig has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. To now work with Manpreet and the new and exciting team at Juniper to bring this precious project into the world is literally a dream come true. The team truly understands this book and I cannot wait for readers to have a copy in their hands thanks to them."

Grewal said: "The Strangling Fig is many things – a family saga, a coming-of-age story and a ghost story – but for me, its core lies in exploring why women make the decisions we do, and the lasting impact the consequences of those decisions have on the generations that come after us."

She added: "Its combination of literary genres and use of magical realism as a lens to explore Partition makes it a perfect addition to Juniper’s launch list. Fauzia’s brilliant and profound novel has affected me deeply, and I hope readers around the world will be moved by Seher and Ashraf’s story too."