All Our Evenings

by Ruthvika Rao

From the author of the acclaimed novel The Fertile Earth comes a powerful tale of desire, friendship, and rivalry between three inseparable friends over the course of an unforgettable summer.

In 1990s Hyderabad, three teenagers—Arjun, Ruhee and Ganesh—forge an unexpected bond. Over the course of a single sun-drenched summer, they discover love, friendship, and solace from their troubled families. They also discover the Red House, an abandoned house in their neighborhood, which becomes the site of their intimate friendship. But one night at the Red House, an unexpected act of violence shatters their lives forever.

A decade later, Ruhee returns to Hyderabad, and Arjun, who has never forgotten his first love, is given a chance to tell the truth, both to himself and to those around him. But the tangled threads of fate, class and desire remain, as does a lacerating secret.

By turns tender and unsettling, Ruthvika Rao’s All Our Evenings is a deeply affecting novel about youthful passion, redemption, and the people we can never let go.

Genres: Fiction, Adult

192 pages, Paperback

Expected publication September 1, 2026

About the author

Ruthvika Rao is from Hyderabad, India. Her debut novel, The Fertile Earth, was a finalist for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, the Chautauqua Prize, the Crossword Book Award, and longlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize. She has taught creative writing at the University of Iowa and the University of Toronto. She is a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and lives in Michigan.

www.ruthvikarao.com

Reviews

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three teenagers are living in Hyderabad, India in the 1990s. They forge an unlikely friendship, until Ruhee and Ganesh begin to fall in love. Arjun quickly finds himself on the outside looking in on their relationship. And when something unexpected happens, it will change things between the three of them forever.

I found this to have the start of a really good story that would be one of those that stuck with you for a long time. However, it didn't quite come together for me as I hoped it would. My take is that the author was purposefully trying to be vague about certain things, particularly around the real relationship between Arjun and Ganesh. But having to piece things together and fill in the blanks to some extent, made the book less impactful to me.

Well written and kept me interested, but it was just missing a little something that would have knocked it up to an above average book for me.

I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Ruthvika Rao · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved writing this book. You'll like this if you enjoyed The Fertile Earth: A Novel.

[Jennifer Hernandez · Rating 1 out of 5]

I DN'f at page 70. It just felt like nothing was really going on for being a short book and I couldn't get into it.