Quarterlife
A Novel
by Devika Rege
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Pub Date Sep 10 2024 | Archive Date Aug 31 2024
W. W. Norton & Company | Liveright
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Description
India’s literary novel of the year—an enthralling, award-winning debut from a “blazingly original voice” (Vauhini Vara)
“In the fashion of the big novels by Salman Rushdie or Amitav Ghosh” (Biblio), Quarterlife is a groundbreaking portrait of a nation on the cusp of a new age. When the Bharat Party comes to power after a divisive election, Naren, a jaded Wall Street consultant, is lured home to Mumbai. With him is Amanda, a restless New Englander eager to embody her ideals through a teaching fellowship in a Muslim-majority slum. Meanwhile, Naren’s charismatic brother Rohit, an amateur filmmaker, sets out to explore his roots and befriends the fiery young men of the Hindu nationalist machine. Their journeys lead them into an astonishing milieu of brutal debates and infatuations as fraught as they are addictive, feeding into a festive night when all of Mumbai is on the streets—where the simmering unrest erupts. Hailed as “a landmark novel” (Indian Express), Quarterlife is a brilliantly innovative work that tests the limits of what the novel can achieve.
About the Author: Devika Rege was born in Pune, India, and lives in Bangalore. She holds an MFA from the Iowa Writers' Workshop and has been awarded fellowships from Yaddo and MacDowell. Quarterlife is her debut novel.
Available Editions
| EDITION | Hardcover |
| ISBN | 9781324095491 |
| PRICE | $29.99 (USD) |
| PAGES | 416 |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Mark B, Reviewer
India - land of mystery, fascination, endless hope and despair. India - with the world's largest population (1.4 billion), and largest “democracy”, where respect as a Global South power player is always just out of reach.
Devika Rege’s engrossing debut novel, “Quarterlife”, does a masterful job of setting the scene for the current attempt. Readers are treated to just the right amount of history covering millenia of Empires, Dynasties, growth of religions, colonialism, alliances, brutal conflict.
It’s 2014 as the Modi/Bharatiya Era has begun, bringing renewed hope. Naren is a Wharton-trained, Wall Street savvy investment banker, committed to returning home to Mumbai to help build the New India. Brother Rohit is a filmmaker willing to take risks and stir the pot. Amanda knows that there is a world beyond her Blueblood New England upbringing and is eager to bring her photographic talents to help a struggling NGO. Together with a diverse cast of complimentary characters, there is a spirit that maybe this time India can succeed.
“Quarterlife” is “a lot of book”, but never dull nor laborious. It is quick-paced, compelling, informative, and dramatic . Rege pulls no punches in describing heart-breaking juxtapositions between abject poverty living side-by-side with lavish opulence. Frank treatments of racism, casteism, sexism, misogyny, homophobia, patriarchy, religious intolerance, and general abuse of power are never shied away from.
Could this be the time that a Golden Generation finds a way to succeed in putting India on the road to success? We are left to eternally wonder. India.
“Quarterlife” is a worthy addition to the rich tradition of epic Indian novels. Well done, Devika Rege. We look forward to your future endeavors.
Thank you to Liveright Press and NetGalley for the eARC
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