I spent much of this past summer reading (and loving) A Suitable Boy, and reading the description of Quarterlife made me think it might be an appropriate pairing. It's still largely a story of young people searching for meaning and purpose in their lives, but instead of dealing with the echoes of Partition and colonialism, they are now contending with the impacts of economic meltdowns and rising nationalism -- as well as the same issues associated with caste and religion that have not gone away. The narrative centers three 20-somethings: Naren, who has studied and worked in the United States and returned to India following news of changes in political power; Amanda, a white New Englander feeling a need to escape her life and contribute to the betterment of society; and Rohit, Naren's younger brother, a filmmaker exploring politics and his family's history.

There's a lot going on in this book, with many other characters and side stories introduced and a lot of discussion of politics, caste, and religion. I'm not sure if my difficulty in following was due to the sheer volume of information, my lack of familiarity with Indian politics, or that I was listening rather than reading with my eyes; it was likely a combination of all three. I'm sure that readers who could appreciate the details and the nuance got a lot more out of the novel than I did. Despite my confusion, however, I could appreciate the skill of the author in tackling so much and in getting inside the heads of such an array of characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and HighBridge Audio for providing me with an advanced listener copy of this book in return for an honest review.

I am glad that I listened to "Quarterlife" by Devika Rege, with great narration by Soneela Nankani. This is an ambitious debut novel, with a large cast of characters and that takes on several difficult topics including politics, religion, caste and gender, to name a few. I thought Rege did a great job of wrestling with difficult topics. She also created a powerful scene of a night of tension in Mumbai. However, as other reviewers have noted, there were so many side characters that it got confusing, and they didn't all feel well developed. I had a strong sense of the main characters including Naren, Rohit and Amanda. With some of the minor characters, I would have either liked to see them more fully developed or not included. Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to readers who want to understand more about modern day India and especially about some of the religious tensions. Thanks to HighBridge Audio and NetGalley for the eARC.

When I read literary fiction with a political flavor, I try to imagine the environment and the fears and anxieties of the protagonists. This step was very easy in Quarterlife, because it felt like a book about the people around me in India. It is set in the familiar bylanes of Bombay and Pune and Konkan, the people talk like the people I know, and the anxieties, though unfounded and hate-filled are all-too-familiar. This is a strange feeling to have when reading a book- it hits eerily close to home. I couldn't tell real life and fiction separate at times.

It's a testament to the author's sharp pen to be able to explain the context in which the characters function so well. I wanted to cry and scoff and stay angry. The talking points of the protagonists and the party were so infuriating (in a very good way!). I will be thinking about this book for a long time to come.