Fans of Malaysian author Hanna Alkaf will have a new title to look forward to this June, as she releases an exclusive novel with a local publishing house for the first time.
The Warung Between Worlds, published under independent imprint Bookiut, will be launched at the Kuala Lumpur International Book Fair (KLIBF) 2026, held at World Trade Centre (WTC) Kuala Lumpur, Jalan Tun Ismail from May 29 to June 7.
The author of acclaimed children’s and young adult titles, Hanna will attend the launch and book talk, scheduled for June 7 (from noon to 1pm) at the KLIBF main stage.
Described as a work of magical realism set against a quintessentially Malaysian backdrop, The Warung Between Worlds - an English language release - draws from the very textures of local life.
"The warung stands, as it always has, on the edge of the night market. It’s the kind of nondescript warung you drive by on balik kampung roadtrips, with its twinkling fairy lights, its torn plastic table cloths, the scratched-up surfaces of its bright red chairs. Within its thin wooden walls, three Aunties whip up delicious delicacies for weary travellers, lost souls and adventurers on the way from Sini to Sana - as long as you’re willing to pay the price," reads the book description.
In the story, the titular warung - run by the mysterious “Aunties” - serves as a refuge where humans and other in-between beings gather, sustained by meals that nourish not only the body but also the soul.
However, the Aunties don’t accept payment in the form of money, but rather something more personal: a memento, a memory or a moment in time.
Like many of Hanna’s previous Malaysian-rooted works,The Warung Between Worlds explores the idea of a liminal space, where one pauses between past and present, self and memory. It is a story of identity, belonging, and the deeply human experience of feeling unmoored in a rapidly changing world.
It has been an eventful first half of 2026 for Hanna. In March, a South-East Asian folk story collection she edited won the Freeman Book Awards 2025 in the United States. The collection, The Beasts Beneath The Winds: Tales Of Southeast Asia’s Mythical Creatures, was recognised in the Young Adult/Middle School Literature category.
