Quarterlife
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- €3.99
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- €3.99
Publisher Description
**Winner of the 2024 MATHRUBHUMI BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD and the 2024 RAMNATH GOENKA SAHITYA SAMAAN AWAWRD FOR BEST DEBUT FICTION / Shortlisted for the 2023 ATTA GALATTA PRIZE FOR FICTION and the 2023 KALINGA LITERARY AWARD FOR FICTION**
'A fearless achievement' The New Yorker
'Quarterlife is a revelation . . . and deserves the widest attention' Observer
'A landmark novel' The Indian Express
'Powerful, demanding, rewarding' Daily Mail
The Bharat Party has come to power after a divisive election. Naren, a jaded Wall Street consultant, is lured home to Mumbai by their promise of ' better days '. With him is Amanda, a restless New Englander eager to live her ideals through a social-impact fellowship in a slum. Meanwhile, Naren ' s brother Rohit sets out to find his ancestral heritage in the countryside, where he ends up befriending the fiery young men who drive the Hindu nationalist machine. As they each come to grips with New India, their journeys coalesce into a riveting portrait of a society on the brink of violence.
Written with grace and precision, Quarterlife is a meditation on the roots of political belief in a time of crises for democracies worldwide.
'An acutely portrayed and ambitious reckoning' Guardian
'The most accomplished political novel of the Modi years' Granta
'By a distance the best debut of the year' Wall Street Journal
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Rege debuts with an intelligent if overlong meditation on the rise of Indian nationalism in 2014. Naren Agashe, a thriving Wall Street consultant, returns home to Mumbai after eight years in the U.S., despite having recently secured a green card. He believes the future lies in India, thanks to promises from the Hindu nationalist Bharat Party to end corruption and deliver jobs. Accompanying Naren is a college acquaintance, Amanda, who's set to teach in a Muslim-majority slum. In Mumbai, Amanda becomes involved in a "situationship" with Naren's younger brother, Rohit, a charming filmmaker. As Amanda contends with culture shock and India's income inequity, she's bothered by Rohit's inability to acknowledge his privilege. Then Rohit befriends Omkar, a Bharat supporter, and despite disapproval from many of his friends, he agrees to produce Omkar's film on Ganeshotsav, a festival notorious for sparking tension and violence between Hindus and Muslims. Rege gamely tackles India's caste system and the elites' blasé response to the rising threat to minorities under the Bharat Party, though her tendency to deliver ideas via lengthy dialogue can make the characters feel wooden. Still, she pulls off some beautiful and kaleidoscopic set pieces, such as her depiction of Ganeshotsav. Readers will want to keep an eye out for what Rege does next.
