The study of exotic nuclei around 132Sn is a subject of current experimental and theoretical interest. Experimental information for nuclei in the vicinity of 132Sn, which have been long inaccessible to spectroscopic studies, is now available thanks to new advanced facilities and techniques. The experimental data which have been now become available for these neutron-rich nuclei may suggest a modification in the shell structure. They are, in fact, somewhat different from what one might expect by extrapolating the existing results for N<82, and as a possible explanation a change in the single-proton level scheme has been suggested. The latter would be caused by a more diffuse nuclear surface, and could be seen as a precursor of major effects which should show up at larger neutron excess. New data offer therefore the opportunity to test the shell model and look for a possible evolution of shell structure when going toward neutron drip line. This is stimulating shell-model studies in this region. Here, we present an overview of recent shell-model studies of 132Sn neighbors, focusing attention on those calculations employing realistic effective interactions.