In area I don't know, I got an idea abroad for a novel (1,7,2,5)
I believe the answer is:
a passage to india
'novel' is the definition.
(novel by EM Forster)
'in area i don't know i got an idea abroad' is the wordplay.
'in area i' becomes 'a' (I can't justify this - if you can you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'don't know' becomes 'pass' (e.g. response in a quiz).
'abroad' indicates anagramming the letters.
'i'+'got'+'an'+'idea'='igotanidea'
'igotanidea' anagrammed gives 'agetoindia'.
'a'+'pass'+'agetoindia'='A PASSAGE TO INDIA'
'for a' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for a passage to india that I've seen before include "E.M. Forster novel" , "Book" , "a journey that ends up in the subcontinent" , "taken by hippies seeking guru?" , "Novel's" .)