Head of Zeus signs new novel by Slumdog Millionaire author Vikas Swarup

Head of Zeus has acquired The Girl with the Seven Lives by Vikas Swarup, a former Indian diplomat, TV host and bestselling author, whose debut novel Q&A was adapted into the Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire.

Sophie Whitehead, commissioning editor for Apollo Fiction, acquired world English-language rights, excluding India, from Peter Buckman at The Ampersand Agency. The novel will be published in hardback, trade paperback, audiobook and e-book in July 2026.

The Girl with the Seven Lives was first published in India on 15th July 2024, became a national bestseller, won the Kalinga Book Award for Best English Fiction in 2025 and was longlisted for the Dublin Literary Award.

In the novel – Swarup’s first in a decade – Devi has learnt, growing up in the slums of Delhi, that survival comes at a cost and, naturally, that means she’s made a few enemies along the way.

“Now she’s being held captive, her life up for sale in an online auction, where the highest bidder will determine her fate,” the description goes on. “With her existence hanging in the balance, Devi proceeds to give her captor ‘a confession to beat all confessions’ – as over the course of a single night, Devi unveils the secrets of her seven extraordinary lives. Devi is the ultimate survivor – but will she make it through the longest night of her life?”

Swarup said: “Devi’s story is one of resilience, courage and reinvention — and I’m excited for readers everywhere to embark on this journey with her.”

Whitehead said: “I could not put The Girl with the Seven Lives down, so desperate was I to find out what happened to Devi as she regaled her extraordinary life and the high-stakes night that may end it all. Part locked-room thriller, part sweeping biography, part epic journey across India, there is so much to love in Vikas’ brilliant new novel, and we cannot wait to share it with readers.”