Tell Me How to Be

A Novel

By: Neel Patel

Narrated by: Vikas Adam

“Narrator Vikas Adam does an excellent job of balancing the angst- ridden Akash with the mourning Renu in this mother-and-son story of love and loss” – AudioFile Magazine

“Tell Me How to Be is daring, hilarious, poignant, and impossible to put down. Neel Patel is a fabulous storyteller!” —Deesha Philyaw, author of The Secret Lives of Church Ladies

From rising star Neel Patel (“refreshing…defiant…consistently surprising” —New York Times), a darkly funny and heartbreaking debut novel about an Indian-American family confronting the secrets between them.

Renu Amin always seemed perfect: doting husband, beautiful house, healthy sons. But as the one-year anniversary of her husband’s death approaches, Renu is binge-watching soap operas and simmering with old resentments. She can’t stop wondering if, thirty-five years ago, she chose the wrong life. In Los Angeles, her son, Akash, has everything he ever wanted, but as he tries to kickstart his songwriting career and commit to his boyfriend, he is haunted by the painful memories he fled a decade ago. When his mother tells him she is selling the family home, Akash returns to Illinois, hoping to finally say goodbye and move on.

Together, Renu and Akash pack up the house, retreating further into the secrets that stand between them. Renu sends an innocent Facebook message to the man she almost married, sparking an emotional affair that calls into question everything she thought she knew about herself. Akash slips back into bad habits as he confronts his darkest secrets—including what really happened between him and the first boy who broke his heart. When their pasts catch up to them, Renu and Akash must decide between the lives they left behind and the ones they’ve since created, between making each other happy and setting themselves free.

By turns irreverent and tender, filled with the beats of ’90s R&B, Tell Me How to Be is about our earliest betrayals and the cost of reconciliation. But most of all, it is the love story of a mother and son each trying to figure out how to be in the world.

A Macmillan Audio production from Flatiron Books

©2021 Neel Patel (P)2021 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“I loved Tell Me How to Be’s story of family, first love, and figuring out your place in the world. Neel's writing is vulnerable, authentic and entertaining. This book gives a fresh perspective to complicated family relationships…something everyone can relate to." (Lilly Singh, number one New York Times best-selling author of How to Be a Bawse)

I’m so thankful for this book

I found myself in a full sob by the end of this book. The narrator effortlessly slipped between the characters and brought them all to life. The author touched a part of me that needed to be healed.
I’m thankful that I’ve encountered this book.

Superb read!

I was crying with sadness and joy while reading this book. As an Indian mom, there were many times when I understood the pain and the expectations one has for their children. As a Indian child, I understood the pain and expectations as a child. Beautiful read. A must read for children and parents.

Amazing!

This was such a beautiful story! I was captured from the very beginning. The writing, the emotions, the resolve; simply magnificent!

Good Read!

I loved reading this because it wasn't artificially happy. It really makes you think about the different kinds of love there are.

Full of depth and intrigue

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I found the story, particularly the characters, the son and the mother, to be very intriguing. It effectively highlights the complexities and intersections of culture, belief, family, and queerness. It delves into various aspects, and it’s fascinating to witness how all these elements are intricately woven together. Overall, I had a great time reading this book.