Santanu Bhattacharya’s striking debut One Small Voice, shortlisted for the Authors’ Club Best First Novel Award, was a poignant account of childhood trauma and its far-reaching effects. His second, a compelling addition to the growing genre of queer novels by South Asian writers, revisits the theme of trauma through the lens of illicit desire in India. Deviants is a multigenerational story of three gay men from the same family struggling for acceptance in an unforgiving society.
Bhattacharya’s alternating narratives track back and forth across 50 years, from the 1970s to the present day. When Sukumar and, later, his nephew Mambro are growing up, homosexuality is criminalised in India: the Victorian law, Section 377, makes it a punishable offence with a sentence of up to seven years. The law remained in force until 2009, and impacts each generation in different ways.
In 1977, Sukumar, aged 25, has a secret lover, referred to as X, but eventually their relationship fizzles out. Thinking his loneliness might be assuaged by having a child, and to appease his mother, Sukumar takes a wife just before his 40th birthday, but the union is a disaster — his unhappiness manifests itself in neglect of both his health and work.
Mambro is 14 when he meets his first love, Y, in the mid-1990s. They enjoy a four-year relationship, only splitting up when their studies take them in different directions. At university, Mambro suffers a series of brutal homophobic attacks after his peers read his diary, which recounts his sexual experiences with Y. Bhattacharya is good at articulating the tentacles of fear that suffocate Mambro, while making the political point that Section 377 also impeded the battle against HIV. When the law is finally repealed, Mambro voluntarily visits the hospital to take an Aids test, an act previously unthinkable.
Born in the noughties, Mambro’s 17-year-old nephew Vivaan is openly gay, but still struggles with feelings of isolation. After he resolves to attend the school dance with his teenage boyfriend Zee, the principal invites Vivaan and his parents to a meeting. She quickly backs down after Vivaan’s mother tartly observes: “Homosexuality is legal in India. How much time would you need, before your school can catch up?”
The anonymised first loves of the men underline the clandestine nature of their relationships and the social taboos they face. They seek escape in casual sex, candidly portrayed by Bhattacharya. For Sukumar, this takes place at the local docks, while Vivaan resorts to using an AI bot. They also find solace in writing, art and mantras.
Bhattacharya skilfully interweaves their distinct voices. Vivaan records notes on his phone, while Mambro, a novelist, employs the second person, deftly conveying an internal dialogue. Sukamar’s story is narrated in the third person, presumably written by Mambro or Vivaan. As much as it’s about forbidden love, Deviants is a study of resilience. Bhattacharya has created a compelling, astute and compassionate meditation on identity and the search to belong.
Deviants by Santanu Bhattacharya Fig Tree £16.99, 304 pages
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