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Real Life: A Haunting Literary Mystery Set In The Himalayas | Psychological Suspense | A Story Of Obsession, Silence And Control
In the remote Mahamaya Valley in the Himalayas, wildlife biologist Tara has vanished. Hunting for answers, Tara’s best friend Mansi sets out to retrace her whereabouts in the days before her disappearance. The prime suspect Bhaskar sits in police custody, his obsession with Tara laid bare, his testimony a labyrinth of contradictions and half-truths. As the investigation deepens, the valley reveals its own mysteries—a backpacker paradise where the timeless and the ephemeral collide, where technology and nature clash, and where a woman's voice can be silenced in countless ways.
Rendered in exquisite prose, Real Life is a gripping mystery that transforms into a masterful exploration of love and loss, visibility and erasure, AI and surveillance and the never-ending tussle between individual desires and societal demands.
In an age of surveillance and enforced conformity, what does it mean for a woman to seek a more authentic, real existence?
Rendered in exquisite prose, Real Life is a gripping mystery that transforms into a masterful exploration of love and loss, visibility and erasure, AI and surveillance and the never-ending tussle between individual desires and societal demands.
In an age of surveillance and enforced conformity, what does it mean for a woman to seek a more authentic, real existence?
315 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 28, 2025
12 people are currently reading
460 people want to read
About the author
Amrita Mahale
2 books240 followersAmrita Mahale was born in Mumbai and grew up in five cities across India. Milk Teeth, her first novel, was published to widespread acclaim in 2018 and was longlisted for the JCB Prize for Literature and shortlisted for the Crossword Book Award for Fiction. Her second novel, Real Life, was published by Penguin Random House India in July 2025. Amrita was trained as an aerospace engineer at IIT Bombay and Stanford University.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
October 15, 2025
Per aspera ad astra—Latin for ‘Through hardship to the stars’—is a phrase that is mentioned on the first page of Amrita Mahale’s Real Life. The book’s main protagonist, Tara, had got that motto tattooed on her nape, and it becomes (as Chapter 1 seems to suggest) the means of identifying her. For Tara’s disappearance forms the main crux of this story: a disappearance that sparks off a search, of course, but also churns up a whole host of memories, questions, and regrets.
Mahale divides her book into three parts, each with a different central character, but with all three parts meshing together in such a way that the story is a single one, revolving around Tara. Tara, in her early thirties, was a biologist studying dholes (Indian wild dogs) in the Himalayas. For the past eight years, Tara had been doing field work, mostly near a Himachal town named Jora—which sounds like a fictitious, smaller version of Manali, catering largely to the drug-chasing, partying-hard crowd from both home and abroad. Living alone in Jora, going up to a nearby glacier and into the nearby forest on the heels of the dholes, Tara vanishes.
Part 1 of the book is told, in the first person, by Tara’s friend Mansi. Mansi reminisces about the many years of their friendship, even as she journeys to Jora and tries to find clues that can help her understand what might have happened to Tara. Mansi’s memories, of confidences, quarrels, betrayal, and forgiveness, ultimately lead to the person who forms the focus of Part 2, Bhaskar.
Bhaskar’s story is told in the third person: a man from a small town who had been Mansi’s classmate in college. A prank gone awry seems to have marked Bhaskar for life, and has made him obsessive about the name Tara: an obsession that led him into an affair with Tara? Or not?
The third part of the book continues in the third person, but the story has finally reached its central character: the perspective here is Tara’s, the story told is hers.
While the three parts of Real Life are from three different points of view, this is not the Rashomon effect on display. This is a story being taken forward, layers peeled away to reveal what lies beneath. Each layer takes the reader further into the life and personality of Tara, all the while touching upon a range of topics that are pertinent today.
There is, for instance, the whole thing about AI and chatbots, and how much we’re willing for (or wanting) technology to govern our lives. Bhaskar is a techie, and a hair-raising episode from his life shines the light on our ability—or not—to use tech wisely. There is, too, the way we have made social media our god: a god which commands us to always be on display, to not have a moment’s privacy, and how that takes its toll.
The story provokes thought on casteism and classism. On corruption. On nature, the environment, and its destruction. And most emphatically, on women and the hardships they face. Through the stories of Mansi and Tara, a picture that is disturbingly true to life is built up. The sacrifices women are expected to make for ‘love’; the onus for home and family that is piled onto them. The double standards, the suspicion with which an independent-minded woman is regarded. The boundaries that surround a woman’s body, sexual life, career, individuality—everything.
Real Life is an absorbing, thought-provoking story. The three lead characters are satisfyingly three-dimensional, and Mahale’s prose is bang on, suited to the character, the situation, the space. It is as fluid, as versatile, as the plot itself, which goes from an exploration of womanhood and friendship, into a mystery, and then back into feminism, but with the added insight offered by a strong-willed, fiercely independent character.
(From my review for Open: The Magazine: https://openthemagazine.com/books/wil...)
Mahale divides her book into three parts, each with a different central character, but with all three parts meshing together in such a way that the story is a single one, revolving around Tara. Tara, in her early thirties, was a biologist studying dholes (Indian wild dogs) in the Himalayas. For the past eight years, Tara had been doing field work, mostly near a Himachal town named Jora—which sounds like a fictitious, smaller version of Manali, catering largely to the drug-chasing, partying-hard crowd from both home and abroad. Living alone in Jora, going up to a nearby glacier and into the nearby forest on the heels of the dholes, Tara vanishes.
Part 1 of the book is told, in the first person, by Tara’s friend Mansi. Mansi reminisces about the many years of their friendship, even as she journeys to Jora and tries to find clues that can help her understand what might have happened to Tara. Mansi’s memories, of confidences, quarrels, betrayal, and forgiveness, ultimately lead to the person who forms the focus of Part 2, Bhaskar.
Bhaskar’s story is told in the third person: a man from a small town who had been Mansi’s classmate in college. A prank gone awry seems to have marked Bhaskar for life, and has made him obsessive about the name Tara: an obsession that led him into an affair with Tara? Or not?
The third part of the book continues in the third person, but the story has finally reached its central character: the perspective here is Tara’s, the story told is hers.
While the three parts of Real Life are from three different points of view, this is not the Rashomon effect on display. This is a story being taken forward, layers peeled away to reveal what lies beneath. Each layer takes the reader further into the life and personality of Tara, all the while touching upon a range of topics that are pertinent today.
There is, for instance, the whole thing about AI and chatbots, and how much we’re willing for (or wanting) technology to govern our lives. Bhaskar is a techie, and a hair-raising episode from his life shines the light on our ability—or not—to use tech wisely. There is, too, the way we have made social media our god: a god which commands us to always be on display, to not have a moment’s privacy, and how that takes its toll.
The story provokes thought on casteism and classism. On corruption. On nature, the environment, and its destruction. And most emphatically, on women and the hardships they face. Through the stories of Mansi and Tara, a picture that is disturbingly true to life is built up. The sacrifices women are expected to make for ‘love’; the onus for home and family that is piled onto them. The double standards, the suspicion with which an independent-minded woman is regarded. The boundaries that surround a woman’s body, sexual life, career, individuality—everything.
Real Life is an absorbing, thought-provoking story. The three lead characters are satisfyingly three-dimensional, and Mahale’s prose is bang on, suited to the character, the situation, the space. It is as fluid, as versatile, as the plot itself, which goes from an exploration of womanhood and friendship, into a mystery, and then back into feminism, but with the added insight offered by a strong-willed, fiercely independent character.
(From my review for Open: The Magazine: https://openthemagazine.com/books/wil...)
August 9, 2025
For as long as I can remember, I've wanted to be a writer because my sister—who also happens to be the author of Real Life (but no, I'll try to make this review as unbiased as I can)—was an exceptional one (oops, sorry). For someone who's always lived in the shadow of a star sibling, it was the only path that made sense.
Amrita makes writing seem effortless and nourishing, and every day I curse myself (okay fine, I’m downright jealous) that I’ll never be able to match that crazy level of talent. Not even if I write regularly. Not even if I lock myself in a room and dedicate every single second of my life to writing nonstop. No social life at all. No distractions.
This book is a testament to her skill. A book that I finished reading—nay, devoured—in six hours (on a Monday), Real Life is a layered story about friendship, guilt, and redemption, and what it means to seek a life that feels real (bonkers because I read this book in the middle of a great existential crisis). In a world that’s constantly trying to reshape women, Real Life is a story about all the ways women disappear from the world and within it.
Amrita writes with an honesty and vulnerability that makes Real Life a page turner down to the very last page, and it’s something you continue thinking about long after you’ve finished the epilogue. You'll recognize pieces of yourself in all three main characters' perspectives, and if you're fortunate, you'll also find yourself reflected in the writer's voice.
I read the book three weeks ago, and here we are, still getting goosebumps about the incredible way the story comes together. There’s so much magic and meaning to the book that it makes me somewhat sad that I’ll never be able to read it for the first time ever again.
On the bright side, I’m no longer having an existential crisis.
Amrita makes writing seem effortless and nourishing, and every day I curse myself (okay fine, I’m downright jealous) that I’ll never be able to match that crazy level of talent. Not even if I write regularly. Not even if I lock myself in a room and dedicate every single second of my life to writing nonstop. No social life at all. No distractions.
This book is a testament to her skill. A book that I finished reading—nay, devoured—in six hours (on a Monday), Real Life is a layered story about friendship, guilt, and redemption, and what it means to seek a life that feels real (bonkers because I read this book in the middle of a great existential crisis). In a world that’s constantly trying to reshape women, Real Life is a story about all the ways women disappear from the world and within it.
Amrita writes with an honesty and vulnerability that makes Real Life a page turner down to the very last page, and it’s something you continue thinking about long after you’ve finished the epilogue. You'll recognize pieces of yourself in all three main characters' perspectives, and if you're fortunate, you'll also find yourself reflected in the writer's voice.
I read the book three weeks ago, and here we are, still getting goosebumps about the incredible way the story comes together. There’s so much magic and meaning to the book that it makes me somewhat sad that I’ll never be able to read it for the first time ever again.
On the bright side, I’m no longer having an existential crisis.
July 22, 2025
Very very good, and what a jump from a debut novel that was also quite solid.
December 2, 2025
There are some books that creep under the skin, make you ponder things you never paused to consider, and quietly gnaw their way in until they make a home there. For weeks, I kept returning to snatches of the narrative, trying to absorb the intricacy of Amrita’s latest creation. I admired her after Milk Teeth, that respect has now multiplied a thousandfold.
The book unfolds in three parts, each with such a distinct narrative style that it almost feels as though three different writers are at work. The first section gives us Mansi’s story in the first person. Mansi and Tara share the kind of friendship shaped by affection, jealousies and the small intricacies that make it real. When Tara disappears into the mountains, Mansi looks back to understand what went wrong and retraces her steps in search of her.
The second section centres on Bhaskar, bullied in college and simmering with vengefulness and neediness. He lives largely inside his own head, hosting an imaginary talk show that doubles as his personal podcast. Amrita has given him the honour of having a similar day job as her, rooted in AI. When I read her short story in The ONly City, i got a broader picture of her work dealing with mapping babies for AI.
The final section, my favourite, belongs to Tara. It is deeply introspective, rooted in her growing closeness with nature.
While reading, I began to notice the pearls of wisdom threaded through the narrative: the conversations about AI, the ongoing debates around gender equality, status differences, the inevitable in-law tensions, and Mansi’s husband who sponges off her. These small, sharp observations feel remarkably true to life. That is when it struck me. Real Life suggests that friendship is rarely perfect, love is not destined, and communication often falters. Jealousies simmer; friction is constant; loose ends remain. And perhaps that is what makes our lives feel real.
The book unfolds in three parts, each with such a distinct narrative style that it almost feels as though three different writers are at work. The first section gives us Mansi’s story in the first person. Mansi and Tara share the kind of friendship shaped by affection, jealousies and the small intricacies that make it real. When Tara disappears into the mountains, Mansi looks back to understand what went wrong and retraces her steps in search of her.
The second section centres on Bhaskar, bullied in college and simmering with vengefulness and neediness. He lives largely inside his own head, hosting an imaginary talk show that doubles as his personal podcast. Amrita has given him the honour of having a similar day job as her, rooted in AI. When I read her short story in The ONly City, i got a broader picture of her work dealing with mapping babies for AI.
The final section, my favourite, belongs to Tara. It is deeply introspective, rooted in her growing closeness with nature.
While reading, I began to notice the pearls of wisdom threaded through the narrative: the conversations about AI, the ongoing debates around gender equality, status differences, the inevitable in-law tensions, and Mansi’s husband who sponges off her. These small, sharp observations feel remarkably true to life. That is when it struck me. Real Life suggests that friendship is rarely perfect, love is not destined, and communication often falters. Jealousies simmer; friction is constant; loose ends remain. And perhaps that is what makes our lives feel real.
October 19, 2025
This book has all that you think would make for a perfect book but then small errors and lack of overall connections b/w the plotlines makes it for an average read. Divided in 3 parts, instead of being parts of novel, they stand out more as individual stories rather than supporting each other
In the part 'Mansi', Mansi travels to the Jora hills to search for her best friend Tara, after she vanishes. All the while in this solitude she reflects upon her marriage and the life she has built, also imagining what life she could have built instead
'Bhaskar' is about this young AI engineer who has past connections with Mansi and Tara. I think this was one of the weirdest story I have ever read. At 60% mark into this book, this part of the book became a real slog
And then came "Tara" and Oh My God, one of the best piece of writing I have ever read. I will definitely recommend this book to seekers of good literature and the reason would only be this section of writing. A masterpiece unlike anything I have ever read. The prose, the cinematic text and hard core values this story talks about will blur the lines between life and afterlife
My only qualm which actually is a major one is the loss of connection b/w the script. I wished the dots were joined better. Nevertheless definitely recommended for its last section
In the part 'Mansi', Mansi travels to the Jora hills to search for her best friend Tara, after she vanishes. All the while in this solitude she reflects upon her marriage and the life she has built, also imagining what life she could have built instead
'Bhaskar' is about this young AI engineer who has past connections with Mansi and Tara. I think this was one of the weirdest story I have ever read. At 60% mark into this book, this part of the book became a real slog
And then came "Tara" and Oh My God, one of the best piece of writing I have ever read. I will definitely recommend this book to seekers of good literature and the reason would only be this section of writing. A masterpiece unlike anything I have ever read. The prose, the cinematic text and hard core values this story talks about will blur the lines between life and afterlife
My only qualm which actually is a major one is the loss of connection b/w the script. I wished the dots were joined better. Nevertheless definitely recommended for its last section
October 2, 2025
An open letter to Amrita.
Please excuse my intrusion in your inbox. It's unlike me to text strangers. But after having read Real Life (I begrudgingly finished it today—I hated that it ended), I feel as though you’ve known me my whole life, and I couldn’t resist the urge to write to you. You’ve written so closely about someone real in Real Life.
In 2023, I embarked on a solo trip to Vashisht in Himachal (much to the bewilderment of my family and in-laws, but with the full support of a loving husband). I stayed away from the crowds of Manali in search of peace and clarity. I hiked a gruelling two hours up a mountain in the Pir Panjal range to a remote Airbnb I had booked a month earlier. It was a sprawling stone cottage, hand-built by a British-Indian couple who were about to leave for a week-long trek in the unknown reaches of the Himalayas, leaving their home in the care of a stranger who had no inkling that the word 'solitude' takes on a very different gravity in the mountains.
Two years have passed since then. Looking back, that is the moment I can trace as the point when I changed as a person. The one who descended from the mountain was not the same who had ascended it, heaving and panting, a week before. Only a handful of people know what happened to me in those mountains, and I’ve kept it close to my heart. It involved a dog, a stream, a stranger, the moon and a bear.
I have always known that someday I would want to write about it. Your book has nudged me closer to doing so. One day, I hope to have the pleasure of you reading it.
"To be radical, is perhaps, to possess an imagination that can bend over the horizon and see what lies beyond, to have a mind that is capable of seeing that what stands to be gained from leaping across the bounds of the familiar can be far greater than the comforts one is leaving behind."
With love and admiration,
Shaili
Please excuse my intrusion in your inbox. It's unlike me to text strangers. But after having read Real Life (I begrudgingly finished it today—I hated that it ended), I feel as though you’ve known me my whole life, and I couldn’t resist the urge to write to you. You’ve written so closely about someone real in Real Life.
In 2023, I embarked on a solo trip to Vashisht in Himachal (much to the bewilderment of my family and in-laws, but with the full support of a loving husband). I stayed away from the crowds of Manali in search of peace and clarity. I hiked a gruelling two hours up a mountain in the Pir Panjal range to a remote Airbnb I had booked a month earlier. It was a sprawling stone cottage, hand-built by a British-Indian couple who were about to leave for a week-long trek in the unknown reaches of the Himalayas, leaving their home in the care of a stranger who had no inkling that the word 'solitude' takes on a very different gravity in the mountains.
Two years have passed since then. Looking back, that is the moment I can trace as the point when I changed as a person. The one who descended from the mountain was not the same who had ascended it, heaving and panting, a week before. Only a handful of people know what happened to me in those mountains, and I’ve kept it close to my heart. It involved a dog, a stream, a stranger, the moon and a bear.
I have always known that someday I would want to write about it. Your book has nudged me closer to doing so. One day, I hope to have the pleasure of you reading it.
"To be radical, is perhaps, to possess an imagination that can bend over the horizon and see what lies beyond, to have a mind that is capable of seeing that what stands to be gained from leaping across the bounds of the familiar can be far greater than the comforts one is leaving behind."
With love and admiration,
Shaili
September 25, 2025
The moment I learned that Milk Teeth author Amrita Mahale had published another book, I knew I had to read it. And so I did.
The first part, told from Mansi’s POV, was thoroughly engaging. It instantly transported me to my own childhood and left me feeling nostalgic—just as her writing had done in her debut novel. It even made me reflect on my own childhood friendships and question what “best friend” really means. To me, it has always felt like a relationship defined by both love and hate at the same time.
But once Bhaskar’s POV began, I slowly started to lose interest. His narration dragged on, and I found myself not really caring about his character. When Tara’s POV finally arrived—the one I had been most looking forward to—it initially held promise. Yet the heavy focus on her research and academic details weighed it down, and my interest waned again. By the end, I stopped caring about her story too.
The ending itself felt… unfinished. As if the book cut off halfway through, leaving me wanting more of Mansi and Tara’s story and their interactions.
Overall, Real Life started strong, with moments that were deeply evocative and relatable, but it ultimately lost steam and left me unsatisfied.
The first part, told from Mansi’s POV, was thoroughly engaging. It instantly transported me to my own childhood and left me feeling nostalgic—just as her writing had done in her debut novel. It even made me reflect on my own childhood friendships and question what “best friend” really means. To me, it has always felt like a relationship defined by both love and hate at the same time.
But once Bhaskar’s POV began, I slowly started to lose interest. His narration dragged on, and I found myself not really caring about his character. When Tara’s POV finally arrived—the one I had been most looking forward to—it initially held promise. Yet the heavy focus on her research and academic details weighed it down, and my interest waned again. By the end, I stopped caring about her story too.
The ending itself felt… unfinished. As if the book cut off halfway through, leaving me wanting more of Mansi and Tara’s story and their interactions.
Overall, Real Life started strong, with moments that were deeply evocative and relatable, but it ultimately lost steam and left me unsatisfied.
August 14, 2025
The second 5-star book of 2025 for me.
Literature is a mirror to the society. It's an old cliché. Very rarely do you get to see that cliché comes to life in a published from. Amrita Mahale's second novel - Real Life - is one such cliché, in all the best ways.
The many urgent enquiries of our times about ecology, technology, caste, class and gender biases, collide, contribute and collaborate to make Real Life as real as it could possibly have been.
Literature is a mirror to the society. It's an old cliché. Very rarely do you get to see that cliché comes to life in a published from. Amrita Mahale's second novel - Real Life - is one such cliché, in all the best ways.
The many urgent enquiries of our times about ecology, technology, caste, class and gender biases, collide, contribute and collaborate to make Real Life as real as it could possibly have been.
December 18, 2025
Real Life is the first book I’ve read by Amrita Mahale, and I went into it with fairly low expectations. I was unsure if I wanted to read her at all, half-expecting another spicy romantic drama centred around college students or people in their early twenties. Still, knowing that Penguin had published it, I hoped there would be something more substantial beneath the surface.
I was completely amazed, right from the start.
Amrita Mahale leaves no stone unturned in making this novel deeply engaging. The book works on multiple levels: the way the story unfolds, the dynamics between characters, the steady build-up of suspense and intrigue, and, most strikingly, the intellectual conversations that run through it. This is not just a plot-driven novel; it is a thinking person’s book.
Amrita weaves in themes in subtle yet powerful way, you don’t usually expect a contemporary novel like this to explore. Casteism and classism are touched upon with restraint but clarity. Patriarchy is portrayed honestly, without being preachy. The narrative opens up conversations around technology as a tool to solve global problems, environmental concerns, and the journey of self-discovery, all while remaining compelling and readable.
I was never bored. Not once did I feel the urge to put the book down or push myself to get through a section. The story holds your attention effortlessly.
Mahale’s background in aeronautical engineering clearly strengthens the technical aspects of the novel. The explanations around IT, coding, and the chatbot feel authentic and well thought out, adding credibility rather than confusion. Equally impressive is Tara’s work as a biologist, her insights and explanations are rich, layered, and genuinely educational. I found myself learning along the way, which is rare and rewarding in fiction.
There were several discussions in the book that I found myself agreeing with, and others that made me pause and want to debate further, even wish I could talk to Amrita Mahale herself about them. That, to me, is the mark of a strong novel: it stays with you beyond the last page.
I’m genuinely glad I picked up Real Life. It surprised me, challenged me, and kept me fully engaged throughout. I will definitely be reading more of Amrita Mahale’s work.
I was completely amazed, right from the start.
Amrita Mahale leaves no stone unturned in making this novel deeply engaging. The book works on multiple levels: the way the story unfolds, the dynamics between characters, the steady build-up of suspense and intrigue, and, most strikingly, the intellectual conversations that run through it. This is not just a plot-driven novel; it is a thinking person’s book.
Amrita weaves in themes in subtle yet powerful way, you don’t usually expect a contemporary novel like this to explore. Casteism and classism are touched upon with restraint but clarity. Patriarchy is portrayed honestly, without being preachy. The narrative opens up conversations around technology as a tool to solve global problems, environmental concerns, and the journey of self-discovery, all while remaining compelling and readable.
I was never bored. Not once did I feel the urge to put the book down or push myself to get through a section. The story holds your attention effortlessly.
Mahale’s background in aeronautical engineering clearly strengthens the technical aspects of the novel. The explanations around IT, coding, and the chatbot feel authentic and well thought out, adding credibility rather than confusion. Equally impressive is Tara’s work as a biologist, her insights and explanations are rich, layered, and genuinely educational. I found myself learning along the way, which is rare and rewarding in fiction.
There were several discussions in the book that I found myself agreeing with, and others that made me pause and want to debate further, even wish I could talk to Amrita Mahale herself about them. That, to me, is the mark of a strong novel: it stays with you beyond the last page.
I’m genuinely glad I picked up Real Life. It surprised me, challenged me, and kept me fully engaged throughout. I will definitely be reading more of Amrita Mahale’s work.
August 25, 2025
I loved this book from the moment Mansi described her first meeting with Tara. It is so simple yet artfully put. The writing is nothing like the dramatic, cliched and tired prose I've sadly come to expect as the default from many published Indian authors writing in English. I am able to explore deeply Mansi's experiences because the author doesn't hit me, the reader, over the top of the head many times to hammer in the same points. Very readable, subtle writing. (You can call me elitist, I don't care.) I devoured this book.
Best impulse book buy of the year. A new friend recommended this book to me and suffice to say I will be trusting her recommendations more or less blindly here on out.
Best impulse book buy of the year. A new friend recommended this book to me and suffice to say I will be trusting her recommendations more or less blindly here on out.
August 2, 2025
It has been a while since I have been immersed in the world of a book in this way. Amrita Mahale's characterization is so wonderful, I really felt like I was getting to know the people in the book (and feel for some of them and rage about some of them as well). The ending left me wanting more in the best possible way. I definitely would have liked the plot to be more cohesive and I needed way more of Tara than the other two POVs, but these are small complaints in the light of what the book actually offers as an experience.
August 29, 2025
A fast read with wonderfully broken and weird characters. I completed around 75% of this book in a day across 2 sittings and really loved Bhaskar and Mansi's sections. The end felt a bit underwhelming after all that buildup but all in all, what crazy brilliant storytelling!
I will pick up and devour anything and everything written by Amrita Mahale.
I will pick up and devour anything and everything written by Amrita Mahale.
August 29, 2025
-Love in the Time of AI-
Review of 'Real Life'
Quote Alert
"𝐈 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐲, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐈 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐮𝐜𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 𝐏𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐟𝐟, 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐈 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞. 𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐈 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐥, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐲 𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐚 𝐠𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐲. 𝐍𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐛𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐥, 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰. 𝐍𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐢𝐝, 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐦 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞."
Love threads through the story like the tracks of stitching between the swathes of fabric. In some places it keeps the things together. In some places it's too sharp, like a glass-glazed kite string, cutting into the cloth and leaving open gashes. All three major characters, Mansi, Tara and Bhaskar have their own love. And they all think theirs is better. Only one of them is right. And that person is dead as we begin the novel.
The story starts with dragging you into a pool of grief. Mansi is grieving Tara. Her life was cut short in a Himalayan village where she was researching on mountain dogs. Mansi, expected to become a tradwife by her husband, had mocked at her PhD choice every chance she got. She herself was working for a fairness cream (that's the reasons her husband wants her to leave her job, softly claiming she was cementing stereotypes.)
Her grief is etched in these lines: "How does a person just vanish? How does a whole person, flesh, blood, bone and tooth, disappear without a trace? An act of misdirection, or a trick of the light, what sleight of hand does it take to make that happen? Are there, perchance, slits in this world that one can quietly slip through, to escape to another one next door? Perhaps it so happens, once in an eon, that all the spaces in the atoms that make one up get knocked off, abridging a person into a wisp, a wraith, a memory."
The story moves slow in the beginning. Why must i grieve Tara? I don't know her. Nor do I know the one who is grieving. But Mahale works her magic gradually. She starts with the girls' childhood, telling us one was a lower caste and belonged to a poor household. But she was sharp and bright. Another was well to do but a docile soul. That's the reason Mansi's mother seldom sent her to Tara's home. It was only a room that was separated by a cotton saree when night came.
Mahale is best when she is engaging in highlighting patriarchy and male chauvinism. The second half of the book is really terrific. The scenes between Mansi and her husband Sid are ELECTRIC. I think I might start a petition to write an entire novel upon those two characters. To understand their relationship, let me share your musings of Tara's mind:
"She never liked Sid. A deeply unworthy man who once told Tara that his favourite thing about Mansi was that when they met, she had no idea how beautiful she was. I really lucked out, he added. Mansi blushed when he said this, but Tara was left unsettled. Of all the things he could have said about this remarkable woman-that she was brilliant, determined, kind, that she possessed a fierce imagination and a loyal heart, that when she wrote it was like the words flowed from a magical font of attention and insight and beauty- Sid had picked a fault line in Mansi's self-image and self- esteem."
The portions of Bhaskar are conflicting in the beginning, a geek who was bullied mercilessly. But as the story progresses, the veneer of good boy comes off gradually. He becomes real and frightening. I have had some experience with stalking lately and let me tell you it's terrifying. Even if the stalker keeps the distance, you can't breathe in relief. Bhaskar is so unhinged, he is romancing something that can't be loved:
"On the other hand, weren't all relationships essentially a combination of neurotransmitters being fired in the brain? The only objective reality of any relationship was what the mind knew. What he was feeling now was no less real than what he might experience with a real woman. What he had here was a chance to unburden himself of the hurt he had carried for over a decade without worrying, for a change, about hurting another person."
The cerebral jhamela that Bhaskar is going through at the end of his story is nothing short of a poetic justice. Sometimes you are punished for the things you have done and sometimes...
Towards the end, the story bends the genre a little bit. Although I don't compare books to movies, it reminded me of Deepika Padukone's Gehraiyan. But the author, it seems, is only trying to justify the title of the book. In real life, answers are always simple.
This book left an indelible impression on me. I don't reread but this one I will. Some day.
Review of 'Real Life'
Quote Alert
"𝐈 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐲, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐈 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐮𝐜𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 𝐏𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐟𝐟, 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐈 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞. 𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐈 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐥, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐲 𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐚 𝐠𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐲. 𝐍𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐛𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐥, 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰. 𝐍𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐢𝐝, 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐦 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞."
Love threads through the story like the tracks of stitching between the swathes of fabric. In some places it keeps the things together. In some places it's too sharp, like a glass-glazed kite string, cutting into the cloth and leaving open gashes. All three major characters, Mansi, Tara and Bhaskar have their own love. And they all think theirs is better. Only one of them is right. And that person is dead as we begin the novel.
The story starts with dragging you into a pool of grief. Mansi is grieving Tara. Her life was cut short in a Himalayan village where she was researching on mountain dogs. Mansi, expected to become a tradwife by her husband, had mocked at her PhD choice every chance she got. She herself was working for a fairness cream (that's the reasons her husband wants her to leave her job, softly claiming she was cementing stereotypes.)
Her grief is etched in these lines: "How does a person just vanish? How does a whole person, flesh, blood, bone and tooth, disappear without a trace? An act of misdirection, or a trick of the light, what sleight of hand does it take to make that happen? Are there, perchance, slits in this world that one can quietly slip through, to escape to another one next door? Perhaps it so happens, once in an eon, that all the spaces in the atoms that make one up get knocked off, abridging a person into a wisp, a wraith, a memory."
The story moves slow in the beginning. Why must i grieve Tara? I don't know her. Nor do I know the one who is grieving. But Mahale works her magic gradually. She starts with the girls' childhood, telling us one was a lower caste and belonged to a poor household. But she was sharp and bright. Another was well to do but a docile soul. That's the reason Mansi's mother seldom sent her to Tara's home. It was only a room that was separated by a cotton saree when night came.
Mahale is best when she is engaging in highlighting patriarchy and male chauvinism. The second half of the book is really terrific. The scenes between Mansi and her husband Sid are ELECTRIC. I think I might start a petition to write an entire novel upon those two characters. To understand their relationship, let me share your musings of Tara's mind:
"She never liked Sid. A deeply unworthy man who once told Tara that his favourite thing about Mansi was that when they met, she had no idea how beautiful she was. I really lucked out, he added. Mansi blushed when he said this, but Tara was left unsettled. Of all the things he could have said about this remarkable woman-that she was brilliant, determined, kind, that she possessed a fierce imagination and a loyal heart, that when she wrote it was like the words flowed from a magical font of attention and insight and beauty- Sid had picked a fault line in Mansi's self-image and self- esteem."
The portions of Bhaskar are conflicting in the beginning, a geek who was bullied mercilessly. But as the story progresses, the veneer of good boy comes off gradually. He becomes real and frightening. I have had some experience with stalking lately and let me tell you it's terrifying. Even if the stalker keeps the distance, you can't breathe in relief. Bhaskar is so unhinged, he is romancing something that can't be loved:
"On the other hand, weren't all relationships essentially a combination of neurotransmitters being fired in the brain? The only objective reality of any relationship was what the mind knew. What he was feeling now was no less real than what he might experience with a real woman. What he had here was a chance to unburden himself of the hurt he had carried for over a decade without worrying, for a change, about hurting another person."
The cerebral jhamela that Bhaskar is going through at the end of his story is nothing short of a poetic justice. Sometimes you are punished for the things you have done and sometimes...
Towards the end, the story bends the genre a little bit. Although I don't compare books to movies, it reminded me of Deepika Padukone's Gehraiyan. But the author, it seems, is only trying to justify the title of the book. In real life, answers are always simple.
This book left an indelible impression on me. I don't reread but this one I will. Some day.
August 5, 2025
A storm brews in my mind as I read about the unforgettable Tara, etched with aplomb. Aptly named as she truly reaches for the stars, free spirited, unencumbered and unfettered by norms, she is a moral compass/conscience for Mansi and a reality check for Bhaskar.
An accomplished weaving of patriarchy, chatbots, obsession, wildlife and Nature makes for a haunting read.
Reading it was a singular experience as a thread of sorrow/sense of loss runs through the narrative as Tara seeks to be one with Nature.
Fine, small details give huge insight of the peripheral characters like Mansi's in-laws, Atreyee and Tara's mother(one of the best!).
What is the definition of Real Life?Is it life lived by conditioning and compliance to societal norms or is it the life one strives to live in harmony with Nature without adherence or affectation to rules and boundaries?
The ambiguous ending ( my conclusion considering Chap.1&6) is far fetched.
Nevertheless, it is a perfect read.
The dappled cover is thoughtful and beautiful with an emphasis on Nature, red in tooth and claw...
Accomplished and assured writing by Amrita Mahale.
An accomplished weaving of patriarchy, chatbots, obsession, wildlife and Nature makes for a haunting read.
Reading it was a singular experience as a thread of sorrow/sense of loss runs through the narrative as Tara seeks to be one with Nature.
Fine, small details give huge insight of the peripheral characters like Mansi's in-laws, Atreyee and Tara's mother(one of the best!).
What is the definition of Real Life?Is it life lived by conditioning and compliance to societal norms or is it the life one strives to live in harmony with Nature without adherence or affectation to rules and boundaries?
The ambiguous ending ( my conclusion considering Chap.1&6) is far fetched.
Nevertheless, it is a perfect read.
The dappled cover is thoughtful and beautiful with an emphasis on Nature, red in tooth and claw...
Accomplished and assured writing by Amrita Mahale.
September 20, 2025
With Real Life, Amrita Mahale proves (once again) that she is one of India's shining literary lights. If Milk Teeth was tender, this book is raw but succulent and juicy. It draws you in, very slowly. Initially, you're not sure why you're reading what you're reading, but then suddenly you're hooked and don't want to put it down.
The novel is in three parts, each from the POV of a different character, and the writing style changes with each as well. It is hard to say what this book is "about". It is a literary thriller, but it's about friendships, about being the real you, about AI(!), about reclaiming your agency, the list could go on.
I read an interview with the author and I found her writing process fascinating because I can't imagine it was easy to write three such unique characters, each with a unique voice, and yet make each of them sound authentic. Purely from a story perspective, I personally thought the end was a little unsatisfactory, but maybe that's just the crime lover in me needing a villain. Not for a second does it take away from the greatness of the book.
If this is the future of contemporary India lit, I can't wait.
The novel is in three parts, each from the POV of a different character, and the writing style changes with each as well. It is hard to say what this book is "about". It is a literary thriller, but it's about friendships, about being the real you, about AI(!), about reclaiming your agency, the list could go on.
I read an interview with the author and I found her writing process fascinating because I can't imagine it was easy to write three such unique characters, each with a unique voice, and yet make each of them sound authentic. Purely from a story perspective, I personally thought the end was a little unsatisfactory, but maybe that's just the crime lover in me needing a villain. Not for a second does it take away from the greatness of the book.
If this is the future of contemporary India lit, I can't wait.
December 21, 2025
Rating: 4.5/5 ⭐️
I wouldn't have picked up Real Life by Amrita Mahale if it weren't for Penguin India x Kalinga Literary Festival. This is my first my book by Amrita Mahale, and first time reading literary fiction - mystery. And I'm so glad that I picked it up!
Real Life has two layers that Amrita Mahale weaves together seamlessly. The first is the literary, thought-provoking narrative, and second, the mystery that nudges you to ask questions and connect dots to solve it.
The story unfolds in three parts with an epilogue and is told through perspectives of Mansi, Bhaskar, and Tara. Mansi and Bhaskar offer their own version of Tara: how they met, how they see her, and what she means to them. The narrative largely revolves around Tara helping shape and complicate our understanding of Tara. Throughout the story, we knew Tara through other characters until her own perspective arrived and challenged what we knew.
I love how introspective the writing was. The book focuses on friendship, relationships, grief, and inner conflicts. There were moments that made me pause and think because something felt familiar, something we've seen, heard, or felt before.
It also touches on the topic of gender roles and societal expectations. It talks about the pressure placed on women to behave a certain way, to act a certain way, and to meet expectations within relationships and marriage.
As someone who loves reading mysteries, I found the mystery element incredibly satisfying. I found myself asking questions like: What happened to Tara? Who killed her? Mansi or Bhaskar? What happened between Tara and Bhaskar? And most importantly, what kind of person Tara was?
Amrita did an impeccable job of keeping the mystery readers engaged while keeping the subtlety of literary fiction.
That said, there were moments when the pacing felt slow, and I found myself skimming certain parts. I couldn't wait to get to the end and find out what happened to Tara.
The revelation at the end made me sit with the story for a while. Without giving anything away, I found myself relating to Tara. Her need to have solitude, peace, distance from expectations, and having a place that let her be her without performing.
If you ask me why you should read Real Life, my answer would be simple. Read it for the mystery that hooks you. Read it for its literary depth. And read it for the way it makes you pause, relate, think, question, and reflect, especially if you're a woman navigating expectations that are invisible but deeply rooted.
Real Life is a thought-provoking story that stays with you even after it ends. It isn't a book with jaw-dropping plot twists or shocking revelations but the one that quietly unsettles you. This novel has clearly left a strong impression on me with how it balances mystery and emotional depth. If you love character driven stories and mysteries, this one should be on your reading list.
I wouldn't have picked up Real Life by Amrita Mahale if it weren't for Penguin India x Kalinga Literary Festival. This is my first my book by Amrita Mahale, and first time reading literary fiction - mystery. And I'm so glad that I picked it up!
Real Life has two layers that Amrita Mahale weaves together seamlessly. The first is the literary, thought-provoking narrative, and second, the mystery that nudges you to ask questions and connect dots to solve it.
The story unfolds in three parts with an epilogue and is told through perspectives of Mansi, Bhaskar, and Tara. Mansi and Bhaskar offer their own version of Tara: how they met, how they see her, and what she means to them. The narrative largely revolves around Tara helping shape and complicate our understanding of Tara. Throughout the story, we knew Tara through other characters until her own perspective arrived and challenged what we knew.
I love how introspective the writing was. The book focuses on friendship, relationships, grief, and inner conflicts. There were moments that made me pause and think because something felt familiar, something we've seen, heard, or felt before.
It also touches on the topic of gender roles and societal expectations. It talks about the pressure placed on women to behave a certain way, to act a certain way, and to meet expectations within relationships and marriage.
As someone who loves reading mysteries, I found the mystery element incredibly satisfying. I found myself asking questions like: What happened to Tara? Who killed her? Mansi or Bhaskar? What happened between Tara and Bhaskar? And most importantly, what kind of person Tara was?
Amrita did an impeccable job of keeping the mystery readers engaged while keeping the subtlety of literary fiction.
That said, there were moments when the pacing felt slow, and I found myself skimming certain parts. I couldn't wait to get to the end and find out what happened to Tara.
The revelation at the end made me sit with the story for a while. Without giving anything away, I found myself relating to Tara. Her need to have solitude, peace, distance from expectations, and having a place that let her be her without performing.
If you ask me why you should read Real Life, my answer would be simple. Read it for the mystery that hooks you. Read it for its literary depth. And read it for the way it makes you pause, relate, think, question, and reflect, especially if you're a woman navigating expectations that are invisible but deeply rooted.
Real Life is a thought-provoking story that stays with you even after it ends. It isn't a book with jaw-dropping plot twists or shocking revelations but the one that quietly unsettles you. This novel has clearly left a strong impression on me with how it balances mystery and emotional depth. If you love character driven stories and mysteries, this one should be on your reading list.
January 5, 2026
”If I had known that one day we all have to retell our stories, that we are compelled to return to the past to parcel out the weight of our actions across many versions of ourselves, I might have done many things differently. ”
- Amrita Mahale, Real Life
Tara Kumar, a wildlife biologist arrives at Mahamaya Valley located in the Himalayan region. Mansi, in search of her best friend comes to Jora and contemplates about their equation and how it has changed over the years.
”Strong women don't grow from trees, they grow from girls like you and me.”
I must agree that initially I had difficulty in sinking my teeth through the chapters as I was not used to reading longer ones. But after some segments that vividly described Mansi's deteriorating marriage with Sid, my ears perked up with her reflections mainly on financial independence.
”My work, as unglamorous as it was, was my second skin. The financial independence it gave me was my armour.”
The prose is delicate and explores many themes that make for an immersive reading experience. The first part is atmospheric that traces the timeline of longing with quiet intensity. The second segment unfolds through Bhaskar's perspective is a well-researched lesson on Artificial intelligence about its pros and mainly pitfalls.
Mahale subtly switches from vividly depicting Tara Kumar's conflicted thoughts to psychologically deduce a mind of a man with a fragile ego. She speaks the language of the characters and voices their intentions.
Real life seamlessly blends Feminism and Mansi's memories of her missing friend with persisting issues that plague the world at large. There's an ongoing debate about AI replacing humans which Mahale has subtly answered.
”He had happily outsourced these tedious functions to his smartphone—to his AI overlords as Tara had once put it. In Jora, where none of the mountain trails were on Google Maps, he was powerless.”
Some parts of Mahale's writing reminded me of Jissa Jose's work Mudritha where the mystery of the missing woman was a lesson in gender roles and societal expectations.
Through Mansi's POV, we travel along the hair-pin curve of Jora, taking in the sights and smells. The role of a wildlife biologist is succinctly described in a sentence - The role of wildlife biologists is to distil facts about animals and how they live, facts that are essential to protecting these species and their habitats. The gurgling Mahamaya river acts more than a mute spectator, with buried secrets on its shores and within it.
”Our Mahamaya is a silent witness, and sometimes a ruthless accomplice, to the most heinous acts.”
Real Life by Amrita Mahale isn't a work to be critiqued but quietly contemplated for its rich prose.
- Amrita Mahale, Real Life
Tara Kumar, a wildlife biologist arrives at Mahamaya Valley located in the Himalayan region. Mansi, in search of her best friend comes to Jora and contemplates about their equation and how it has changed over the years.
”Strong women don't grow from trees, they grow from girls like you and me.”
I must agree that initially I had difficulty in sinking my teeth through the chapters as I was not used to reading longer ones. But after some segments that vividly described Mansi's deteriorating marriage with Sid, my ears perked up with her reflections mainly on financial independence.
”My work, as unglamorous as it was, was my second skin. The financial independence it gave me was my armour.”
The prose is delicate and explores many themes that make for an immersive reading experience. The first part is atmospheric that traces the timeline of longing with quiet intensity. The second segment unfolds through Bhaskar's perspective is a well-researched lesson on Artificial intelligence about its pros and mainly pitfalls.
Mahale subtly switches from vividly depicting Tara Kumar's conflicted thoughts to psychologically deduce a mind of a man with a fragile ego. She speaks the language of the characters and voices their intentions.
Real life seamlessly blends Feminism and Mansi's memories of her missing friend with persisting issues that plague the world at large. There's an ongoing debate about AI replacing humans which Mahale has subtly answered.
”He had happily outsourced these tedious functions to his smartphone—to his AI overlords as Tara had once put it. In Jora, where none of the mountain trails were on Google Maps, he was powerless.”
Some parts of Mahale's writing reminded me of Jissa Jose's work Mudritha where the mystery of the missing woman was a lesson in gender roles and societal expectations.
Through Mansi's POV, we travel along the hair-pin curve of Jora, taking in the sights and smells. The role of a wildlife biologist is succinctly described in a sentence - The role of wildlife biologists is to distil facts about animals and how they live, facts that are essential to protecting these species and their habitats. The gurgling Mahamaya river acts more than a mute spectator, with buried secrets on its shores and within it.
”Our Mahamaya is a silent witness, and sometimes a ruthless accomplice, to the most heinous acts.”
Real Life by Amrita Mahale isn't a work to be critiqued but quietly contemplated for its rich prose.
November 8, 2025
Real Life is built like a prism: one mystery, three voices, four sections, each refracting the same event into a different truth. At its centre is Tara, a wildlife biologist researching dholes ( personally associated with study of animal behaviour, so I loved this bit) in the remote Mahamaya Valley. She disappears without warning, and the novel begins not with panic but with a quiet, unsettling question: how does a woman vanish in plain sight?
.
The emotional spine of the book is the first section, narrated by Tara's childhood friend Mansi. Mansi comes to the valley to "help" look for Tara but ends up excavating their layered friendship instead: two girls from different social worlds trying to grow into adulthood without losing each other. Mahale writes Mansi with sharp vulnerability, letting her marriage troubles, class discomfort and simmering guilt collide with the landscape Tara chose for herself.
The second section shifts to Bhaskar, the man in custody. His voice is chilling precisely because it is calm. He is the embodiment of the modern gaze: tech-driven, entitled, sure that observation equals understanding. Through him, Mahale weaves together themes of surveillance, algorithms and the male presumption of access to women’s lives. Nothing he says is dramatic, yet every line reveals a deeper rot.
The third section, Tara's own narrative, is the quiet center of this novel. It is here that Mahale lets us into Tara's world of field notes, animal movement patterns, solitude, and the fragile freedom she carved for herself. Her disappearance becomes literal and symbolic at once: a woman slipping out of all the roles imposed on her.
And the epilogue doesn't give an answer; that is the brilliance of the novel. Rather, it knots together its themes: visibility and erasure, nature and technology, class, friendship, desire, and the cost of living truthfully.
Real Life isn't a mystery you solve. It's a life you witness in fragments that feel painfully, beautifully real.
I couldn't read Milk Teeth somehow but with this, she had me at 'Per aspera ad astra'.
.
The emotional spine of the book is the first section, narrated by Tara's childhood friend Mansi. Mansi comes to the valley to "help" look for Tara but ends up excavating their layered friendship instead: two girls from different social worlds trying to grow into adulthood without losing each other. Mahale writes Mansi with sharp vulnerability, letting her marriage troubles, class discomfort and simmering guilt collide with the landscape Tara chose for herself.
The second section shifts to Bhaskar, the man in custody. His voice is chilling precisely because it is calm. He is the embodiment of the modern gaze: tech-driven, entitled, sure that observation equals understanding. Through him, Mahale weaves together themes of surveillance, algorithms and the male presumption of access to women’s lives. Nothing he says is dramatic, yet every line reveals a deeper rot.
The third section, Tara's own narrative, is the quiet center of this novel. It is here that Mahale lets us into Tara's world of field notes, animal movement patterns, solitude, and the fragile freedom she carved for herself. Her disappearance becomes literal and symbolic at once: a woman slipping out of all the roles imposed on her.
And the epilogue doesn't give an answer; that is the brilliance of the novel. Rather, it knots together its themes: visibility and erasure, nature and technology, class, friendship, desire, and the cost of living truthfully.
Real Life isn't a mystery you solve. It's a life you witness in fragments that feel painfully, beautifully real.
I couldn't read Milk Teeth somehow but with this, she had me at 'Per aspera ad astra'.
December 19, 2025
Rating :4.5
🪻Real life by Amrita Mahale is set in the Western Himalayas. Mansi’s best friend Tara disappears in Jora. So, Mansi heads there in search of answers. Though fictional, Jora feels familiar if you've travelled to the Himalayas.
🪻The story unfolds through 3 POVs: Mansi, Bhaskar and Tara. Each account follows a character’s life from childhood to the present day.
🪻The author presents three sharply contrasting perspectives, each reflecting how different the characters are. This element stood out as one of the most engaging parts of the book. For instance, the author describes the Himalayas through the eyes of a non-trekker (Mansi) and a nature lover (Tara).
🪻The story follows a medium pace. The author’s writing is simple and descriptive. It has great dialogues that make the exchanges realistic. The book is dotted by abrupt time jumps that catch the reader off guard at times.
🪻Mansi's account has nostalgic details of school life and female friendship in the 90’s. Anyone who grew up in India during those times will relate to this. Her Pov also addresses issues in modern marriages.
🪻Bhaskar is an AI engineer. His account focuses on the male mindset in a patriarchal society. It explores bullying and social awkwardness. He is the prime suspect in Tara’s disappearance.
✨Tara's narrative is my favourite. She is a freethinking and progressive woman. The internal monologues in her account are thought-provoking.
Women in society are often subject to constant judgement. Tara's POV explores the inner life of one such woman, what drives her and what she quietly longs for.
✨I enjoyed reading about the wildlife and the life in the mountains. The novel also addresses the caste divide, feminism and societal pressures in India.
✨The book has an open ending. Usually, I am not a fan of open endings, but this one sits just right. If you like nature, female friendships and a realistic storyline, then this is a must-read!
🪻Real life by Amrita Mahale is set in the Western Himalayas. Mansi’s best friend Tara disappears in Jora. So, Mansi heads there in search of answers. Though fictional, Jora feels familiar if you've travelled to the Himalayas.
🪻The story unfolds through 3 POVs: Mansi, Bhaskar and Tara. Each account follows a character’s life from childhood to the present day.
🪻The author presents three sharply contrasting perspectives, each reflecting how different the characters are. This element stood out as one of the most engaging parts of the book. For instance, the author describes the Himalayas through the eyes of a non-trekker (Mansi) and a nature lover (Tara).
🪻The story follows a medium pace. The author’s writing is simple and descriptive. It has great dialogues that make the exchanges realistic. The book is dotted by abrupt time jumps that catch the reader off guard at times.
🪻Mansi's account has nostalgic details of school life and female friendship in the 90’s. Anyone who grew up in India during those times will relate to this. Her Pov also addresses issues in modern marriages.
🪻Bhaskar is an AI engineer. His account focuses on the male mindset in a patriarchal society. It explores bullying and social awkwardness. He is the prime suspect in Tara’s disappearance.
✨Tara's narrative is my favourite. She is a freethinking and progressive woman. The internal monologues in her account are thought-provoking.
Women in society are often subject to constant judgement. Tara's POV explores the inner life of one such woman, what drives her and what she quietly longs for.
✨I enjoyed reading about the wildlife and the life in the mountains. The novel also addresses the caste divide, feminism and societal pressures in India.
✨The book has an open ending. Usually, I am not a fan of open endings, but this one sits just right. If you like nature, female friendships and a realistic storyline, then this is a must-read!
November 30, 2025
Amrita Mahale has a distinguished style of writing her characters, she portrayed them with utmost care and dignity and I left my heart inside this novel.
I picked this novel because it has wilderness, wildlife research and a missing friend, it was the first thing that attracted me, something rare in Indian literature, but what I didn't expect was a profound realization and stirring emotional whirlpool.
A gripping whodunnit narrative, a search journey for a missing friend evolved into two friends life stories. Two girls, very different from each other, how could they become friends? Nobody knows and they became inseparable friends.
Mansi, and Tara, two very different personalities, two very different kinds of characters. Mansi, the power she was always looking for, finds it in Tara, and unknowingly they find emotional accommodation in each other.
One day Mansi read the news,Tara is missing. Mansi left her home, her husband to search Tara, little did she know that this expedition is going to be an introspective journey too.
At the end I could feel Tara was growing inside Mansi in a different way.. I don't know if anyone felt that way.
Tara's fiery nature is deployed in a manner that creates a remarkable picture. Her protest against the passive voice of social abuse and social hierarchy, handled carefully and shows maturity, I absorbed her each act even though they are not conventional but she never presented as a radical rather she was rational. And Mansi as a contrasting character was brilliant.
But last few chapters were dragged unnecessarily.
Now I know I can pick Amrita Mahale's book any day, from now on she is my go to author.
I picked this novel because it has wilderness, wildlife research and a missing friend, it was the first thing that attracted me, something rare in Indian literature, but what I didn't expect was a profound realization and stirring emotional whirlpool.
A gripping whodunnit narrative, a search journey for a missing friend evolved into two friends life stories. Two girls, very different from each other, how could they become friends? Nobody knows and they became inseparable friends.
Mansi, and Tara, two very different personalities, two very different kinds of characters. Mansi, the power she was always looking for, finds it in Tara, and unknowingly they find emotional accommodation in each other.
One day Mansi read the news,Tara is missing. Mansi left her home, her husband to search Tara, little did she know that this expedition is going to be an introspective journey too.
At the end I could feel Tara was growing inside Mansi in a different way.. I don't know if anyone felt that way.
Tara's fiery nature is deployed in a manner that creates a remarkable picture. Her protest against the passive voice of social abuse and social hierarchy, handled carefully and shows maturity, I absorbed her each act even though they are not conventional but she never presented as a radical rather she was rational. And Mansi as a contrasting character was brilliant.
But last few chapters were dragged unnecessarily.
Now I know I can pick Amrita Mahale's book any day, from now on she is my go to author.
August 22, 2025
amrita mahale’s real life initially presents itself as a mystery, tara, a wildlife biologist, disappears in the himalayas, prompting her best friend mansi to search frantically, while bhaskar, her obsessive follower, sits in custody, weaving a web of contradictions. but before long, the novel sheds its detective fiction guise and transforms into something much more unsettling, almost ghostly.
this story isn’t just about who took tara, it delves into what happens to a woman who dares to live her truth in a world that seeks to surveil, silence, and erase her. the mahamaya valley isn’t just a backdrop, it feels alive, almost conspiratorial, lush yet treacherous, a space where freedom and confinement intertwine. it’s a so-called paradise that simultaneously consumes.
mahale’s writing shifts in tone, one moment it’s tender and lyrical, the next it’s sharp and precise. love, obsession, friendship, they blur together until they’re indistinguishable. silence takes on a new dimension, becoming both a weapon and a wound. technology, ai, surveillance, lurks like a watchful eye, a chilling reminder of how quickly a woman’s voice can be silenced, overwritten.
the novel embraces chaos. threads unravel the moment you grasp them. certainties fade into nothingness. you finish the book not with answers, but with a lingering feeling, damp earth, unvoiced sorrow, the ghostly ache of absence.
real life defies comfort and neat resolutions. it stays with you, a haunting presence, a bruise, a reminder that what’s real is seldom what feels safe.
this story isn’t just about who took tara, it delves into what happens to a woman who dares to live her truth in a world that seeks to surveil, silence, and erase her. the mahamaya valley isn’t just a backdrop, it feels alive, almost conspiratorial, lush yet treacherous, a space where freedom and confinement intertwine. it’s a so-called paradise that simultaneously consumes.
mahale’s writing shifts in tone, one moment it’s tender and lyrical, the next it’s sharp and precise. love, obsession, friendship, they blur together until they’re indistinguishable. silence takes on a new dimension, becoming both a weapon and a wound. technology, ai, surveillance, lurks like a watchful eye, a chilling reminder of how quickly a woman’s voice can be silenced, overwritten.
the novel embraces chaos. threads unravel the moment you grasp them. certainties fade into nothingness. you finish the book not with answers, but with a lingering feeling, damp earth, unvoiced sorrow, the ghostly ache of absence.
real life defies comfort and neat resolutions. it stays with you, a haunting presence, a bruise, a reminder that what’s real is seldom what feels safe.
August 25, 2025
A story of female friendship in a world of visible men and disappearing women
Real Life is set in the fictional himalayan town of Jora. Mansi, a woman whose identity has been subsumed by her own normative choices inches closer to the truth about the disappearance of her childhood friend Tara. Mansi and Tara's friendship forms the heart of the story. Tara, unlike Mansi, has chosen a wild, fierce, independent life for herself - much like the wild dogs (dholes) she came to Jora to study. She is everything Mansi is not - unashamed, unconventional and to Mansi's eyes - unmoored. And then Tara goes missing.
Told from three perspectives, Real life takes the time to let you live in the shoes of these two women and gradually understand the complexity of their friendship and the strength in it. My favourite parts are when Tara follows the dhole pack through the forest - so much of her spirit mirrored in these animals.
Amrita does an excellent job exploring gender, power, identity and what is real in the world of Large Language Models and AI all while you're immersed in a very human story. This is perhaps the books greatest strength.
Real Life is set in the fictional himalayan town of Jora. Mansi, a woman whose identity has been subsumed by her own normative choices inches closer to the truth about the disappearance of her childhood friend Tara. Mansi and Tara's friendship forms the heart of the story. Tara, unlike Mansi, has chosen a wild, fierce, independent life for herself - much like the wild dogs (dholes) she came to Jora to study. She is everything Mansi is not - unashamed, unconventional and to Mansi's eyes - unmoored. And then Tara goes missing.
Told from three perspectives, Real life takes the time to let you live in the shoes of these two women and gradually understand the complexity of their friendship and the strength in it. My favourite parts are when Tara follows the dhole pack through the forest - so much of her spirit mirrored in these animals.
Amrita does an excellent job exploring gender, power, identity and what is real in the world of Large Language Models and AI all while you're immersed in a very human story. This is perhaps the books greatest strength.
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December 1, 2025Real Life by Amrita Mahale, is described as a literary thriller—an apt label. The novel’s strength lies in Mahale’s mastery of interiority: she knows how to inhabit her characters, to trace thought and feeling with precision. At its heart is a friendship between two young women divided by class and ambition. Mahale brilliantly roots their differences in worldviews in their class impositions.
For much of the novel, the pacing feels deft and deliberate. It moves with a quiet urgency, propelling the reader through scenes of academic research, workplace politics, and fluctuating loyalties. For the most part, the prose has the momentum of a thriller, but the intimacy of literary fiction.
Yet the final quarter falters. The narrative slows to a crawl, weighed down by overly detailed explanations of AI concepts and the protagonist’s scientific fieldwork. These sections read more like a textbook than a novel and break the rhythm so carefully built earlier.
More puzzling is the emotional core: by the end, it remains unclear what sustains the women’s friendship beyond habit and inertia. Still, Real Life is an intelligent, observant novel.
For much of the novel, the pacing feels deft and deliberate. It moves with a quiet urgency, propelling the reader through scenes of academic research, workplace politics, and fluctuating loyalties. For the most part, the prose has the momentum of a thriller, but the intimacy of literary fiction.
Yet the final quarter falters. The narrative slows to a crawl, weighed down by overly detailed explanations of AI concepts and the protagonist’s scientific fieldwork. These sections read more like a textbook than a novel and break the rhythm so carefully built earlier.
More puzzling is the emotional core: by the end, it remains unclear what sustains the women’s friendship beyond habit and inertia. Still, Real Life is an intelligent, observant novel.
September 17, 2025
We live in a world conditioned to believe that women cannot be friends. However, this book challenges that notion and celebrates friendships that can last a lifetime. "Real Life" is a testament to female friendships, beautifully showcasing their depth and impact on our lives.
Mansi and Tara, two opposites, support each other through thick and thin. I really appreciated how the author allows the characters to grow throughout the story. While the core of the book revolves around female friendships, it also addresses themes such as shallow marriages, self-exploration, and the misogyny women face daily in their relationships.
The author’s vivid descriptions of the landscape create a picturesque narrative that draws readers in. The research behind the writing is evident and helps immerse us in the story. This is undoubtedly my favorite book so far, and I can't recommend it highly enough!
Mansi and Tara, two opposites, support each other through thick and thin. I really appreciated how the author allows the characters to grow throughout the story. While the core of the book revolves around female friendships, it also addresses themes such as shallow marriages, self-exploration, and the misogyny women face daily in their relationships.
The author’s vivid descriptions of the landscape create a picturesque narrative that draws readers in. The research behind the writing is evident and helps immerse us in the story. This is undoubtedly my favorite book so far, and I can't recommend it highly enough!
October 3, 2025
Amrita Mahale's prose flows beautifully, bordering on poetry. The layers of mystery and suspense make it a haunting yet captivating read. It concludes in an ending that surprises while giving the story a satisfying resolution.
The story is divided into 3 parts, each from the perspective of Mansi, Tara, and Bhaskar, offering viewpoints from a unique and contrasting lens.
At its core, the book dwells on friendship, which is both the strength and the weakness. It shows how these two women survive in a male-dominated society and world, and how Tara tries to rise above patriarchal dominance and the forces that want to suppress her.
From the wildness of nature to the complexities of friendship and obsession, the novel blends these diverse themes seamlessly, anchored by characters that leave a lasting impression.
A compelling read I recommend to everyone.
The story is divided into 3 parts, each from the perspective of Mansi, Tara, and Bhaskar, offering viewpoints from a unique and contrasting lens.
At its core, the book dwells on friendship, which is both the strength and the weakness. It shows how these two women survive in a male-dominated society and world, and how Tara tries to rise above patriarchal dominance and the forces that want to suppress her.
From the wildness of nature to the complexities of friendship and obsession, the novel blends these diverse themes seamlessly, anchored by characters that leave a lasting impression.
A compelling read I recommend to everyone.
January 2, 2026
"To be radical is, perhaps, to possess an imagination that can bend over the horizon and see what lies beyond, to have a mind that is capable of seeing that what stands to be gained from leaping across the bounds of the familiar can be far greater than the comforts one is leaving behind."
"Real Life" begins as a murder mystery of some sort, but it soon reveals itself to be far more than that. The novel explores human relationships in both their tenderness and their failures. It celebrates solitude while gently resisting modernity. It is also a feminist account that exposes the many forms of male ego, both subtle and apparent.
This book is an ode to the mountains, to animals, and to nature itself. A deeply contemplative read, which reflects on life, isolation, and the costs of modern living, that stays with you.
Amrita Mahale is my new favourite author!
"Real Life" begins as a murder mystery of some sort, but it soon reveals itself to be far more than that. The novel explores human relationships in both their tenderness and their failures. It celebrates solitude while gently resisting modernity. It is also a feminist account that exposes the many forms of male ego, both subtle and apparent.
This book is an ode to the mountains, to animals, and to nature itself. A deeply contemplative read, which reflects on life, isolation, and the costs of modern living, that stays with you.
Amrita Mahale is my new favourite author!
January 2, 2026
4.5/5 ⭐
"To be radical is, perhaps, to possess an imagination that can bend over the horizon and see what lies beyond, to have a mind that is capable of seeing that what stands to be gained from leaping across the bounds of the familiar can be far greater than the comforts one is leaving behind."
This is an extraordinary book, well researched, written beautifully. The book is about three characters Mansi, Tara and Bhaskar.
These characters are meticulously crafted where as a reader we feel everything that's going on in their lives, i know I was able to feel Tara's rage, her calm, Mansi's suffocation and Bhaskar's humiliation and obsession. It's a perfect blend of friendship, obsession, humiliation and heartbreak, also it questions misogyny at the root level.
I loved this book to bits.
"To be radical is, perhaps, to possess an imagination that can bend over the horizon and see what lies beyond, to have a mind that is capable of seeing that what stands to be gained from leaping across the bounds of the familiar can be far greater than the comforts one is leaving behind."
This is an extraordinary book, well researched, written beautifully. The book is about three characters Mansi, Tara and Bhaskar.
These characters are meticulously crafted where as a reader we feel everything that's going on in their lives, i know I was able to feel Tara's rage, her calm, Mansi's suffocation and Bhaskar's humiliation and obsession. It's a perfect blend of friendship, obsession, humiliation and heartbreak, also it questions misogyny at the root level.
I loved this book to bits.
October 2, 2025
Absolutely loved this book.
Some of the themes it weaves in are the Himalayas and their wildlife, artificial intelligence and its ethics, caste and class, men's violence towards women, the way men grapple with rejection, women’s rage, and women’s friendships.
All of it tied together by a mystery set in the most incredible landscape of Himachal.
We get a taste of the locals and the various kinds of people who visit.
We also explore a spirituality disconnected from nature where seekers pollute the very place they come to for connection, turning instead to a haze of drugs to access their inner worlds.
Amrita’s book is such an incredible representation of what Indian women’s stories in 2025 look like <3
Some of the themes it weaves in are the Himalayas and their wildlife, artificial intelligence and its ethics, caste and class, men's violence towards women, the way men grapple with rejection, women’s rage, and women’s friendships.
All of it tied together by a mystery set in the most incredible landscape of Himachal.
We get a taste of the locals and the various kinds of people who visit.
We also explore a spirituality disconnected from nature where seekers pollute the very place they come to for connection, turning instead to a haze of drugs to access their inner worlds.
Amrita’s book is such an incredible representation of what Indian women’s stories in 2025 look like <3
November 30, 2025
I was really excited for this book after the debut novel so I really tried hard to like it... but I couldn't.
There were too many plot points that were crammed in, so none of them could breathe and be given the space to grow. I wanted to read more of Tara and Mansi's friendship. The Bhaskar-AI storyline felt forced, and all three parts disjointed.
It could've been a longer book to explore all the themes or a few scrapped to focus on the essence of the story, which I am not sure is by the time we reach the end.
Regardless, I do think Amrita Mhale is a gripping writer and will still pick up her next book with the hope that it's a better read for me.
There were too many plot points that were crammed in, so none of them could breathe and be given the space to grow. I wanted to read more of Tara and Mansi's friendship. The Bhaskar-AI storyline felt forced, and all three parts disjointed.
It could've been a longer book to explore all the themes or a few scrapped to focus on the essence of the story, which I am not sure is by the time we reach the end.
Regardless, I do think Amrita Mhale is a gripping writer and will still pick up her next book with the hope that it's a better read for me.
December 14, 2025
I could be one of the outliers who found the book lacking the ability to weave together a tale of completeness rather than disjointed echoes of topics ranging from caste, being a woman, self worth, AI and what it means to be a human..I believe the writer wanted to bring pertinent issues that the world faces today and yet she does not stay with her characters and their issues long enough to make you get invested in their thoughts and actions..I am a little dissapointed because the premise seemed intriguing and yet it all fell flat and later on seemed like a patchy ending because the story got convoluted and less impactful as it progressed
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