Book review: The Nearest Exit May Be Behind You

Asmi Vemula, is smart, unapologetic and ballsy. She goes above and beyond in her role as Director of Marketing at a biotech company. Now, she’s in the running for a VP position and she’s doubting her abilities. But that’s not the only thing causing her to stress. She’s turning forty soon and much to her parents’ disappointment, she’s still unmarried. Add to that her on-again-off-again relationship with a married man and you have the makings of a thought-provoking novel about a woman on a journey of self-discovery. “The Nearest Exit May Be Behind You” by Amulya Malladi is described as "“Up In The Air” meets “9 To 5” for the Pantsuit Nation". While it may seem as though the book is about leaning in at work, it's really about leaning into life.   

Amulya is the author of eight novels, including The Copenhagen Affair. In my interview with her on the release of that book, she mentioned it was inspired by her experience with depression. In this new work of fiction, she draws from her role as a marketing executive at a medical device company. 

The chapters alternate between Asmi’s story and excerpts from “And Then She Said”, a companion workbook that coaches women on achieving their goals. I found the mini-exercises really useful, especially the one where you make a career plan in four-year increments and identify specific skills you need to work on to meet those milestones.

A scene from the book that has stuck with me was when Asmi and Jo, an executive recruiter work through an exercise about visualizing Asmi’s inner critic and consciously silencing her. I've started practicing this technique and although it takes getting used to, I've felt a difference in my anxiety level when my inner critic appears.

I liked how Asmi's relationships with her female co-workers and friends were portrayed. She and her sister Ananya are total opposites (Ananya is a homemaker) and yet Ananya is Asmi’s biggest cheerleader. If there was anything I would have wished for more in the book, it would be the backstory on what drove Asmi to pursue a career in the way she did.

I absolutely loved the ending! As a reader, it was just what I wanted to have happened to Asmi.

At my workplace, I’m lucky to have female role models in leadership positions. We also have an initiative that’s specifically geared toward helping women grow. But I know that’s not the case in most companies. Regardless of your company’s culture, it eventually comes down to you. If you’re not asking for what you want, no one’s going to give it to you. 

This applies outside of the workplace too. Recently, I was struggling with finding the time to finish my collection of short stories. I knew a writing retreat would give me time and space to finish the final revisions. Although my husband was completely supportive of this, I was feeling guilty for taking time away from all the seemingly more important things I need to get done. I finally took the plunge and blocked a day in my calendar. Stay tuned for an update!

It's time for women to bridge the gap between knowing what we can do and stepping up to do it. And if you need a little nudge, this book will help you get there.