He's 33. She's 21.
He's a struggling stand-up comic. She's a rising star in private equity.
He's divorced. She's never had a boyfriend.
He's Punjabi. She's from a conservative Jain family.
They shouldn't work. But they can't stay apart.
Welcome to 12 Years: My Messed-Up Love Story.
Saket and Payal couldn't be more different—age, background, beliefs. Yet, they're drawn to each other in ways they can't explain. Is it just chemistry, or something deeper? Is it madness and lust, or is it love?
Unputdownable and thoroughly entertaining, 12 Years tries to answer the eternal question: How do you know if someone is the one—especially when everything says they're not?
From India's top-selling writer Chetan Bhagat comes a powerful new love story that will make you laugh, cry and rethink everything you know about love.

Chetan Bhagat is one of India’s most acclaimed contemporary authors, with fourteen bestselling books to his credit. He is the author of ten blockbuster novels—Five Point Someone, One Night @ the Call Center, The 3 Mistakes of My Life, 2 States, Revolution 2020, Half Girlfriend, One Indian Girl, The Girl in Room 105, One Arranged Murder and 400 Days—and four successful non-fiction titles—What Young India Wants, Making India Awesome, India Positive and 11 Rules for Life. Chetan’s books have remained bestsellers since their release. Many of his novels have been adapted into successful Bollywood films such as 3 Idiots, 2 States, Kai Po Che and Half Girlfriend.
The New York Times called him the ‘the biggest-selling English-language novelist in India’s history’. Time magazine recognized him amongst the ‘100 most influential people in the world’, while Fast Company, USA, listed him as one of the world’s ‘100 most creative people in business’. Chetan writes columns for leading English and Hindi newspapers, focusing on youth and national development issues. He is also a motivational speaker, screenplay writer, YouTuber and podcaster.
Chetan quit his international investment-banking career in 2009 to dedicate his time entirely to writing and driving positive change in the country.
Chetan studied at IIT Delhi and IIM Ahmedabad. He is married to Anusha, an ex-classmate from IIMA, and they have twin boys, Shyam and Ishaan.