The following version of this book was used to create this study guide: Taylor, Brandon. Real Life. New York: Riverhead Books, 2020.

The novel is set approximately in the present day, at an unnamed university in the American Midwest. The protagonist, Wallace, is a gay, Black graduate student in the university’s biochemistry program. He is the first Black student in the program in about 30 years. Wallace has been in the program for multiple years, and he has faced many instances of racial discrimination, both social and structural. As a result, he feels alienated from most of his peers. However, one day, he decides to join some of the other students when they gather to socialize at a nearby pier. That evening, a sexual/romantic relationship begins to develop between Wallace and a classmate of his named Miller. Wallace and Miller have mostly had a standoffish relationship, and Miller claims to be heterosexual, but they spend the night together and have sex.

The next day, Wallace goes into his assigned lab at the university, to work. Wallace has faced much racial discrimination and racist hostility in the lab, but he does his best to ignore it. However, on this day, a particularly hostile lab mate named Dana yells at him and uses racist homophobic slurs. Wallace, unable to maintain a passive composure, speaks angrily back at Dana and then leaves. He goes to the school’s tennis courts to play tennis with Cole, a generally friendly classmate of Wallace’s. Cole confides that he has found evidence that his boyfriend, Vincent, may have been sexually unfaithful. Cole is unsure what to do, and he is fearful of confronting Vincent. That night, at Cole’s request, Wallace attends a dinner party hosted by several of their classmates. During the dinner, a student named Roman makes offensive, racist remarks to Wallace. Wallace is hurt by the comments, as well as by the fact that no one speaks in his defense. Wallace then impulsively reveals the evidence of Vincent’s possibly infidelity. Vincent becomes flustered and appears guilty.

Wallace removes himself from the party, and he and Miller spend the night together. Miller asks about Wallace’s past, so Wallace reluctantly agrees to talk about it. He was born and raised in a small town in Alabama. His household and his community generally considered homosexuality to be a sin. His parents were alcoholics who sometimes beat him. Wallace was repeatedly raped by an adult man. In his teenage years, Wallace was in an abusive relationship with a boy who often hit him. Wallace’s mother eventually died of a stroke. Wallace’s father is also dead, but he died only a few weeks ago. Wallace did not have a close relationship with his father, and he has felt no grief for his father’s passing. Wallace is determined never to return to his old life. However, he is generally miserable at the university, due to the racist discrimination he often suffers. He is unsure how to move forward with his life.

Miller responds by recounting some of his own past memories. Miller did not have many prospects growing up, and it was unclear whether he would be able to go to college. One time, when another boy bragged about being accepted to college, Miller beat the boy, and the boy almost died of an aneurysm. Miller and Wallace are both made somewhat uncomfortable by each other’s confessions, and they both need time to process these new pieces of information.

The next day, Wallace goes to the lab again to work. His supervisor, Simone, asks to meet with him in private. It soon becomes apparent to Wallace that Dana has leveled severe (and false) charges of misconduct against him. Dana has falsely accused Wallace of things in the past, and Simone has always believed Dana over Wallace. Wallace fears that Simone will now expel him from the university. However, she simply asks Wallace to consider whether he truly desires to remain in the program or not. Wallace takes the rest of the day off to think about this question. He is unhappy at the university, but he is unsure what he would want to do with his life apart from science.

That night, Miller arrives at Wallace’s apartment. Miller is drunk and unstable. Wallace and Miller argue, and Miller assaults Wallace. Miller soon calms down and apologizes. By this point, their relationship is in an ambiguous state between love and tension. Wallace and Miller then pass a peaceful night together, and Wallace almost feels happy. However, he is still unsure what he is going to decide about his future. The novel then ends with a brief flashback to Wallace’s first day at the university. When he arrived on campus and met the other students, there seemed to be an atmosphere of profound excitement and hope.