On April 23rd our third and final book/author event for the Spring series will feature Dr. Saumya Dave, writer, psychiatrist, and mental health advocate in a captivating conversation with FOSEL’s Sara DiVello about her latest novel which explores “What if women could get rid of their guilt?”
About The Guilt Pill
Maya Patel has it all—her own start-up, a sexy, doting husband, influencer status, and now, a new baby. Or does she? Because behind closed doors, Maya’s drowning. Her newborn’s taking a toll on her marriage, her best friend won’t return her calls, and her company’s hanging on by a thread. The worst part? It’s all her fault. If she could just be a better boss, mother, wife, daughter, friend… Maybe she wouldn’t feel so guilty all the time.
Enter: #Girlboss Liz Anderson, who introduces her to the “guilt pill,” an experimental supplement that erases female guilt. At first, it’s the perfect antidote to Maya’s self-blame and imposter syndrome, and she finally becomes the unapologetic woman she’s always wanted to be. But there’s a catch: for Maya to truly “have it all,” she needs to be ready to risk it all. And as Maya falls deeper and deeper down the pill’s guilt-free rabbit hole, her growing ruthlessness could threaten everything she’s built for herself—and the family she’s worked so hard to protect.
Electric, taut, and sharply observed, The Guilt Pill is a feminist exploration of motherhood, race, ambition, and how the world treats women who dare to go after everything they want.
Select Reviews
The Guilt Pill is a sharp, insightful, funny and deeply human meditation on motherhood and being your own person and where they intersect. Saumya Dave is one of my favorite writers and she has written her best novel yet. —Laura Dave, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Last Thing He Told Me
The Guilt Pill is the answer to the age-old question of whether a woman can do it all—and whether she should. A powerful rallying cry, a juicy glimpse into startup and influencer culture, and a surprising, intimate portrait of a family strained to breaking by the weight on a new mother's shoulders. Saumya Dave has written a book that's as addictive as its untested supplement. You'll want to share it with everyone you know. —Katie Gutierrez, bestselling author of More Than You'll Ever Know
The Guilt Pill is book club fiction at its finest, a story full of complicated characters you can’t help rooting for. An incisive, ominous, and ultimately hopeful take on the all-too-pervasive guilt that accompanies motherhood, this one is not to be missed. I can’t wait to read whatever Dave writes next. —Stephanie Wrobel, internationally bestselling author of The Hitchcock Hotel
A gripping and deeply empathetic portrayal of modern-day motherhood… The Guilt Pill will have readers thinking about Maya’s story long after they’ve turned the final page. —Kirthana Ramisetti, author of GMA book club pick Dava Shastri's Last Day
The Guilt Pill is a brilliant meditation on modern-day motherhood and what happens when women are pushed beyond their limits. Saumya Dave masterfully explores the complexities and absurdities of early motherhood, confidently walking the line between satirical and all-too-real. The Guilt Pill is bold, sly, suspenseful, and bitingly funny. Everyone is going to be talking about this book. —Julia Bartz, New York Times bestselling author of The Writing Retreat
About Saumya Dave
Saumya Dave enjoys exploring the unique dynamics that exist in families. Her second novel, What a Happy Family, was published in June 2021 and a book club pick for Good Housekeeping Magazine, Emily Giffin, Spines and Vines, and Brown Girl Therapy. Her debut novel, Well-Behaved Indian Women, was featured in The New York Times Book Review, ELLE, Bustle, Buzzfeed, and more. Saumya’s essays, articles, and poetry have been in outlets including The New York Times, ABC News, Refinery29, and HuffPost, among others.
Saumya has a passion for women’s mental health and wellness. She and her husband, Samir Sheth, founded thisisforHER, a nonprofit which uses art therapy to improve mental health awareness and education for women and girls in low- and middle-income countries. She is a practicing therapist, as well as an Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry at Mount Sinai, where she teaches Narrative Medicine.
Saumya was born in India and grew up in Atlanta. In her seventh-grade journal, she wrote: “I will be a psychiatrist and writer someday”. She is a graduate of Georgia Tech and the Medical College of Georgia, where she was an inductee into the Gold Humanism Honor Society. She completed her Psychiatry Residency at Mount Sinai Beth Israel, where she was a Chief Resident and an inductee into the AΩA Medical Honors Society. She completed a Psychoanalytic Fellowship with the New York Psychoanalytic Society and Institute.
Author Talk Specifics
When: 4/23/25 at 6:30pm, refreshments + book signings at 7:30pm
Where: Union Church Connection Room
485 Columbus Ave
Books for sale by Parkside Books
Free to All. Come in person or attend virtually via Zoom
TO CONNECT VIA ZOOM:
Email info@friendsofsouthendlibrary.org to receive the ZOOM info.
FOSEL subscribers will receive the ZOOM link in our Mailchimp newsletter just before the event.