1--What is the title of your latest release?
I WISH WE WEREN’T RELATED
2--What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
Reeva thought her dad died when she was little. But when her glamorous mum calls from a Bollywood set to tell her that actually her dad was alive all this time and he only just died, Reeva’s life falls apart. Especially when she finds out she has to spent 14 days at his house, praying for a man she never knew, along with the two sisters she no longer speaks to…
3--How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
I wanted to set my book in London where I’m from, because it fits for Reeva – a high-powered lawyer. But she also spends a lot of time at her dad’s house in Leicester, a city a couple of hours away that has a strong Indian community, because I spent a lot of time there as a child and have always been fascinated by it.
4--Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
Yes! I would love to hang out in her flat with her and her cat.
5--What are three words that describe your protagonist?
Kind, intelligent and serious.
6--What’s something you learned while writing this book?
I learned a lot about Hindu funeral rites and the traditions that involve spending up to 13 nights praying for someone’s soul before you eventually say goodbye to it in a “kriya” ceremony.
7--Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
A bit of both! I tend to write a big chunk, then I edit. And keep going.
8--What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Cake. I have way too much of a sweet tooth.
9--Describe your writing space/office!
I often write in cafes with a cup of tea and – obviously – cake.
10--Who is an author you admire?
Elif Shafak. I think she’s gifted.
11--Is there a book that changed your life?
In a way Jane Eyre did. I read it when I was really young, and I felt so seen and understood by a book – also I adored how I completely lost myself in the story. I’ve been a huge reader ever since.
12--Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)/Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
It happened for the first time when I was 22 and my agent told me I had offers from publishers for my debut. I was at work and went to cry from happiness in the toilets. This book is my fourth, but I still get emotional when I find out it’s going to be published.
13--What’s your favorite genre to read?
Literary fiction.
14--What’s your favorite movie?
Legally Blonde. It just makes me feel better about everything in life.
15--What is your favorite season?
Spring. I love being warm but being able to wear fun fashion.
16--How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
Surrounded by all my friends in my flat. I love bringing different groups of people together.
17--What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
I loved the movie Rye Lane – it’s on Disney Plus now.
18--What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Any kind of Asian.
19--What do you do when you have free time?
Read. Write. Walk. Spontaneously hang out with friends. Yoga. Speak to strangers in cafes.
20--What can readers expect from you next?
I’m actually going to write something for younger readers – watch this space for a couple of YA and kids’ books!
After a shocking phone call from her mother, Reeva Mehta’s life starts to sound like the plot of a Bollywood drama. From the outlandishly funny author of 30 Things I Love About Myself comes a hilarious, heartwarming novel about love, family, and new beginnings.
Thirty-four-year-old Reeva thought her life couldn’t possibly get more complicated, until her semi-famous Bollywood mother calls to tell her that she’s been lying to her daughters for decades—the father they thought died thirty years ago has been alive this whole time. Only now he actually is dead. Worse? His dying wish was for Reeva and her sisters Sita and Jaya to attend his funeral prayers—which means spending a fortnight together at his house, surrounded by relatives they never knew existed.
Reeva already has more than enough going on in her life. She’s an overworked London lawyer, her hair is falling out due to stress-induced alopecia, she can’t decide if her new boyfriend, Nick, is really as wonderful as he appears to be, and her brand-new cat is playing hard to get (even for a cat). And now she has to spend two weeks with the sisters she hasn’t spoken to since Jaya stole her boyfriend and Sita took her side.
But as Reeva slowly learns more about their father and his life—with the help of his sister, aka her new, wise Satya Auntie—she starts to uncover the complicated truth of their past…and realizes she needs Jaya and Sita more than she ever could have imagined.
Humor | Women's Fiction [Penguin Press, On Sale: July 11, 2023, Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9780593335062 / eISBN: 9780593335079]
Radhika Sanghani is a writer for The Telegraph, writing news, features and profiles about women and women’s issues. She joined the paper after stints at the Press Association and The Santiago Times in Chile. She has an MA in Newspaper Journalism from City University London, a BA in English Literature from University College London, and recently came second in GQ’s Norman Mailer writing competition.
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