ALL OUR EVENINGS, forthcoming September 1, 2026
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 1990’s Hyderabad, three teenagers—Arjun, Ruhee, and Ganesh—forge an unexpected bond. Over the course of a single sundrenched 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.
praise for the fertile earth
"A dazzling debut… The novel is grand in the way that the Indian epics are grand. It is plot-packed, emotionally extravagant, dramatically intense, and populated with a memorable cast who breathe fresh urgency into the everyday stakes of love, friendship, pride, duty and dignity. The writing, moreover, soars… Such is the unique power and enchantment of this novel that seems destined to be a future classic." ―The Guardian
"The relationship between the four characters is the heart of the book, but the village of Irumi, its inhabitants and the tensions between them are also important in this epic, ambitious debut." ―The Times
"An epic social novel that movingly weaves the political and personal." ―Daily Mail
"Reading The Fertile Earth it's clear that Rao is not only a sophisticated storyteller but an impressive prose stylist—her sentences sing. This is a novel you will not be able to forget." —Angela Flournoy, author of The Turner House, finalist for the National Book Award
"From its unforgettable opening pages, The Fertile Earth held me spellbound. At its heart is a transgressive love story that dares to bloom in a world of caste-based violence, vengeance, and political transformation. Ruthvika Rao is a fearless writer, and her debut is nothing short of dazzling." —Tania James, author of Loot, longlisted for the National Book Award
Ruthvika Rao is a formidable writer, her gorgeous, finely calibrated prose boldly takes on the terrors humans can inflict on one another while remaining attuned to the delicate frequencies of improbable, inevitable love. —Aube Ray Lescure, author of River East, River West, finalist for the Women’s Prize for fiction.
ruthvika rao is a writer from hyderabad, India
Ruthvika Rao is the author of The Fertile Earth, which was a finalist for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, the Chautauqua Prize, the Time of India prize for debut fiction, the Ramnath Goenka Sahitya Sanman, and longlisted for the Crossword prize and the International Dylan Thomas Prize. Her second novel, All Our Evenings, is forthcoming September 1, 2026.
