Between This World and the Next (Restless Books US and Selkies House Press UK, 2024)

Winner of the Restless Books Immigrant Fiction Prize

Set in 1998, Between This World and the Next tells the story of Fearless, a burnt-out British photojournalist hardened by a long career in war-torn countries, and Song, a Cambodian woman who has been physically and psychologically beset by the legacy of violent revolution in her country. When Song disappears, leaving only a mysterious videotape behind, Fearless must navigate a dangerous network of shady power brokers, sex traffickers, and arms dealers, to find her, uncovering a sprawling network of criminality and corruption. A passionate exploration of power, poverty, and greed, Between This World and the Next confronts our own complicity as passive observers when exposed to a constant stream of media depicting suffering across the world, the global ramifications of the collapse of the USSR, and the hidden criminal networks that impact our lives in ways beyond our reckoning.

PRAISE

“A dogged thriller with political bite. Herat recalls Robert Stone with his themes of morality, redemption, and uncrossable cultural boundaries. . . . In capturing a place and state of mind in which corruption is viewed as ‘the only breach against chaos,’ the London-based, Sri Lanka–rooted author has given us a book that won’t be easy to forget.” —Kirkus Reviews

"One of the chilling pleasures of this book is Herat’s vivid, knowledgeable portrait of this threatening netherworld, from outposts like the Naga to breakaway states like Transnistria, where money is exchanged for advanced weaponry and private armies are assembled to rule in feudal power." — Alden Mudge, BookPage

“Herat impresses on his first time out, with well-shaded characters and gripping suspense . . . this is worth seeking out.” — Publisher’s Weekly

“Captivating, immersive, and arrestingly beautiful, Between This World and the Next holds you in its grip as it effortlessly navigates the complexities of our modern world.” —Saleem Haddad, author of Guapa

“A hauntingly beautiful story of loss and war and the lives we build around them. Herat’s rendering of Cambodia is vivid, dark, and heartbreaking, as three-dimensional as any character. With echoes of Lawrence Osborne and Graham Greene, Between This World and the Next brutally and wrenchingly captures the consequences of modern amorality and the sacrifices we make for redemption. A tale that's determined not to let you go.” — I.S. Berry, author of The Peacock and the Sparrow

“After a chance encounter, Song and Fearless, each burdened with trauma, each with grief, set off on an extraordinary journey. First through the Cambodian underworld to uncover the mastermind behind a brutal criminal ring, then across Asia, Africa, and Europe to find and save each other, and finally through a mazy wilderness of arms dealers, spies, ordinary citizens, and corrupt, powerful bureaucrats to see if even in this fallen world, they might retain their fundamental humanity and, just possibly, also find the one true reason to live: love. Thrilling, terrifying, and complex, endowed with unforgettable characters and imbued with great beauty, Between This World and the Next is a terrific, gorgeous novel.” — Paul Griner, author of The Book of Otto and Liam

“Set in Cambodia, Between This World and the Next is a tender yet clear-eyed thriller, enlivened by a large cast of succinctly drawn characters led by haunted war photographer, Fearless, and Song—a local young woman who has just about mastered how to keep her nightmares at bay. Elevated by a subtle hum of near-poetic prose, Between This World and the Next is a compelling debut by a novelist who clearly enjoys his storytelling, but also cares about enduring human questions of love and rage, witness and action, and what it means to be good.” — Nii Ayikwei Parkes, author of Azúcar

Citation from the Restless Books Immigrant Fiction Writing Prize Judges

An intricate international thriller, Between This World and the Next tells the story of Fearless, a burned-out British war photographer, and Song, a Cambodian woman who has been physically and psychologically marked by the violence in her country. When Song disappears, leaving only a mysterious videotape behind, Fearless must navigate a dangerous network of power brokers, transnational kingpins, sex traffickers, and arms dealers, uncovering a sprawling network of criminality and corruption in a newly post-Soviet world. Praveen Herat challenges our complicity as passive observers when exposed to a constant stream of media depicting suffering across the world and asks what we truly know about anyone, even those we hold dearest. And yet, riven by dark acts, the book is uplifted by love—love between sisters, love of the bereaved, and a remarkable platonic love between Fearless and Song. This propulsive, page-turning novel is a passionate exploration of power, poverty, and greed. With its sharp new perspective, Between This World and the Next pushes the boundaries of what a literary thriller can achieve.” —Prize Judges Tiphanie Yanique, Deepak Unnikrishnan, and Ilan Stavans