For our third title for The Nod Book Club, we picked a book with themes that most readers will be familiar with—love, loss, and friendship. And Mahale’s newest title, Real Life, lines up perfectly. Her second book is set in the foothills of the Himalayas, written from the perspective of diverse characters: two women with lives as intertwined yet as far apart as can be, and a man living a different reality.
It is first and foremost a story about friendship. Tara and Mansi are childhood friends who come from very different circumstances, united by a love for animals and childhood heroes. Through the course of their relationship, Mahale deftly touches upon topics relevant to our times—class divides, caste, feminism, marriage, AI ethics, and even the immigrant experience—all in a way that manages to not be preachy. You will find that one line that makes you sigh in empathy or shake your head at in exasperation, because it is, of course, real life. If you want some food fo thought, in a form that feels easy to digest, pick up Real Life as your next read.
Plus, next week we’re getting author Amrita Mahale and content creator Ria Chopra to chat about this story. Join our Instagram channel to discuss our book of the month as we read it.
