Publish with Us

Follow Penguin

Follow Penguinsters

Follow Penguin Swadesh

Real Life

Real Life

A Haunting Literary Mystery Set In The Himalayas | Psychological Suspense | A Story Of Obsession, Silence And Control

Amrita Mahale
Select Preferred Format
Buying Options
Paperback / Hardback

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?

Imprint: India Hamish Hamilton

Published: Jul/2025

ISBN: 9780143475828

Length : 364 Pages

MRP : ₹699.00

Real Life

A Haunting Literary Mystery Set In The Himalayas | Psychological Suspense | A Story Of Obsession, Silence And Control

Amrita Mahale

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?

Buying Options
Paperback / Hardback

Amrita Mahale

AMRITA 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. She was trained as an aerospace engineer at IIT Bombay and Stanford University.

Vikrant Khanna on the Real Life Inspiration Behind his Characters, Writing and More!

Vikrant Khanna is a ship captain and a bestselling author. His latest book The Girl Who Disappeared, is a thriller that follows the disappearance of Nisha. Will the mystery around her disappearance be solved? You’ll have to read the book to find out but if you want to know more about his creative process read the interview […]

error: Content is protected !!