Your Next Life Is Now
An Interview with Namrata Patel
In this week’s author Q&A, Namrata Patel delves into Your Next Life Is Now, in which a newly engaged daughter must navigate her relationship with her soon-to-be divorced mother — including following her on a road trip to face a secret from her past.
“Patel exhibits a deft touch…There’s no shortage of juicy drama between the striving Parekhs and the higher-caste Mehtas. This entertains.” —Publishers Weekly
How do you like to introduce Your Next Life Is Now to readers?
It’s a book that explores generational tensions between a mother and daughter who are experiencing the struggles women face by giving voice to both points of view.
The mother/daughter relationship at the center of this book has such an intriguing set-up, with Nikki on the verge of marriage and Tara getting divorced. Is that hook where this book began for you?
Yes. I believe one of the biggest decisions women have to reckon with in our lives is to marry or not. This construct is changing but still persists. Younger women who are more free have more of a choice than 30 years ago, especially for those who straddle two opposing cultures, eastern and western.
I love that we’re able to really see what Tara has been through in her chapters. I think this would have been a very different book told only from Nikki’s perspective — we would lose so much of that empathy. Was one point of view more difficult than the other for you to tap into as a writer?
I tried. Really. But it wasn’t working. I needed to show Tara from her own POV to ensure readers understood her. There are things Nikki will never know about her mother, and I wanted to give Tara equal voice so the readers could experience this tension from both sides.
For your past novels, you’ve described delving into some really interesting research during the writing process. What did you enjoy exploring for this book?
I did my graduate work in dual cultural identity and diaspora’s effect on Indian Americans in 1990s. It was good to go back and reference those books like Desis in the House and Karma of Brown Folk. I also enjoyed going back into what the Internet and available tech was thirty years ago. And it made me want an old school flip phone.
What is the last book you loved so much, you couldn’t wait to give a copy to someone?
Dear Writer by Maggie Smith. If a book can give you a hug, this one is it. It’s not just for writers; it’s a meditation on creativity. I love her prose, her careful word choices, her process of putting pen to paper. In fiction, there is a book coming out called The Society by Karen Winn. I’m so excited for people to check it out. It’s a Boston book with interesting characters and a lot of weirdness. I’ll be talking about the book a lot when it’s out.
Namrata Patel is a best selling, Indian-American author who calls Boston home! Her writing dives headfirst into the fascinating world of diaspora and dual-cultural identity, exploring the powerful connections we forge within our families, both the ones we’re born into and the ones we choose. Having lived in countries around the world, Namrata brings a global perspective to her relatable and aspirational characters. Get ready to meet heroines who range from quietly determined to fiercely independent, and heroes who are undeniably swoon-worthy (with just the right touch of flaw!). Namrata’s work has been featured in Writer’s Digest, Christian Science Monitor as well as other literary publications. Her debut novel, The Candid Life of Meena Dave, was celebrated as a longlist nominee for The Center for Fiction’s Best First Novel Prize.