#Review: The Higher Education of Geetika Mehendiratta by Anuradha Marwah

The Higher Education of Geetika Mehendiratta feels like a time capsule that still breathes with urgency. What stood out to me most was the writing—it’s sharp, funny, and unflinchingly honest. The author doesn’t romanticize Geetika’s journey; instead, she allows the contradictions of her desires, ambitions, and vulnerabilities to unfold naturally. The plot, though framed within the classic campus and coming-of-age mould, expands into something much larger: a story about identity, liberation, and the price of choice.

Geetika herself is refreshingly complex. She’s restless, flawed, and often unapologetically hungry for life—a protagonist who refuses to be boxed into small-town expectations. The contrast between Desertvadi’s suffocating monotony and the liberating chaos of Lutyenabad is painted vividly, almost like two worlds tugging at her spirit.

That said, the novel does show its age in places. Some conversations feel slightly dated, and a few narrative turns are predictable if you’ve read other campus tales. Still, these are minor cracks in what is otherwise a bold and intimate story.

For me, this book is less about the plot and more about the pulse of a young woman’s defiance. It lingers—raw, unashamed, and quietly radical.

Find this book here.