New dreams for old values

A debutante novelist chooses a disparate group of young people to measure the moral compass of a nation

- FAIZAL KHAN

TWO YOUNG PEOPLE have crossed the seas. One to discover a new world. The other for the old world to him. In Pune-born and raised Devika Rege's debut novel, Quarterlife, two separate journeys undertaken from America to India set the stage for an exploration of what politics means for today's youth. Set in Mumbai, the novel travels through the lives and ideals of a group of friends, all in their twenties, as they try to negotiate the demands of a nation making a new turn.

After spending nearly a decade in America, Naren, a Wharton-educated Indian-American, decides to return home to make a new beginning in India's commercial capital. At the same time, Amanda, an American, is embarking on a fellowship with an NGO that works in Mumbai's slums. Both young people know each other and are eager to understand a country that holds different opportunities for them. Naren wants to use his experience in Wall Street to build business investments in the new atmosphere offered by his home country and Amanda hopes to understand a different culture and its people.