Eleventh Hour Films has optioned TV rights for Ayisha Malik‘s new novel, This Green and Pleasant Land. The book follows the story of the only Muslim family in middle-class white Britain, whose lives are turned upside-down following a dying wish for a mosque to be built in the village. It is “a witty mediation on race politics, what it means to be British, and the complexities of personal identity. At the heart of this book lies the simple question: who decides to who and what we belong?” Eleventh Hour Films has described the book as “a brilliant premise with relatable characters, delivering an entertaining and clever story for our times.”
Malik, whose Sofia Khan novels following the life of a “Muslim Bridget Jones” have been met with critical acclaim, said: “I’m delighted with Eleventh Hour Films optioning This Green and Pleasant Land. Their insight and vision for the adaptation shows their understanding of what the book is trying to achieve – I believe they’re going to do something amazing when it comes to adapting it for television… I am beyond pleased.”
This Green and Pleasant Land is out today from Bonnier Zaffre.