Deviants

by Santanu Bhattacharya

FROM THE AUTHOR OF ONE SMALL VOICE

Vivaan, a teenager in India’s silicon plateau, has discovered love on his smartphone. Intoxicating, boundary-breaking love. His parents know he is gay, and their support is something Vivaan can count on, but they don’t know what exactly their son gets up to in the online world.

For his uncle, born thirty years earlier, things were very different. Mambro’s life changed forever when he fell for a male classmate at a time, and in a country, where the persecution of gay people was rife under a colonial-era law criminalising homosexuality.

And before that was Mambro’s uncle Sukumar, a young man hopelessly in love with another young man, but forced by social taboos to keep their relationship a secret at all costs. Sukumar would never live the life he yearned for, but his story would ignite and inspire his nephew and grand-nephew after him.

Bold and bracing, intimate and heartbreaking, Deviants examines the histories we inherit and the legacies we leave behind.


'Bhattacharya's storytelling talents are limitless' Nikesh Shukla, praise for One Small Voice

A joy to read, a full universe of feeling ... A born storyteller' Max Porter, praise for One Small Voice

Genres: Queer, LGBT, Fiction, India, Gay, Historical Fiction, Contemporary

279 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 13, 2025

About the author

Santanu Bhattacharya is the author of two novels, One Small Voice and Deviants, and several works of short fiction. One Small Voice was chosen as an Observer Best Debut Novel for 2023, and was shortlisted for the Author’s Club Best First Novel Award and the Gordon Bowker Volcano Prize. Santanu is the winner of the Desmond Elliott Prize Residency, the Mo Siewcharran Prize, the Life Writing Prize, and a London Writers’ Award. He grew up in India, and now lives in London.

Reviews

[Greg S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three generations of gay men in the same family. The novel gives an insight into the changing attitudes (and laws) to homosexuality in India by showing us how it directly impacts these three characters. They each make mistakes - falling for men who can’t or won’t commit their love fully. But they also each show strength and determination.

We travel from the 1970s when a damaging colonial-era law banning homosexuality means gay people have to hide in the shadows, through a period of uncertain hope where that law was removed (only to be reinstated a few years later), and into the present day where hooking up with another man (or any sexual partners) is as easy as switching on your phone.

The writing in this novel is incredible. It’s beautiful and defiant, sometimes funny, always emotionally raw. With sexual “deviance” often comes brutality and shame. But Bhattacharya also shows us the pride, community and power of queer love and sex.

[Jordan Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This i think is the best book i've read this year. Gay Indian history passes us by and three different generations really helps to tell the stories through the ages

[Mark Kwesi · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, so, so beautiful.

[mr.schoey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the three narratives and how each person saw themselves, and how they were seen by either their uncle or their nephew. The characters were vulnerable, complex, and deeply human. What touched me most was how each individual grew up navigating life under the constant fear of discrimination and being cast out by society. And then there’s Vivaan, the youngest, who has to navigate a more modern world with a whole new set of challenges that this generation faces.

It was highly informative and eye-opening to see just how easily rights can be gained and then stripped away again. (2025, are you listening?!) In India, consensual same-sex relations were decriminalized by a 2009 Delhi High Court ruling, reinstated as a criminal offense by the Supreme Court in 2013, and finally decriminalized again in 2018. That is only 7 years ago... A true rollercoaster of rights and resilience.

I loved the structure of the book and how the narration shifted between Vivaan, Mambro, and Sukumar. The voice changed with each, bringing a sense of freshness and perspective.

There were both tender and heartbreaking moments, but every scene felt important and made me fall in love with the characters, even when their actions weren’t always likable. You could still understand them, and that’s the mark of great storytelling.

This is what I love about books. Even though these characters come from a completely different culture and upbringing than mine, I could still laugh, cry, and hope with them. Santanu Bhattacharya, you have outdone yourself. I’m looking forward to whatever you write next.

[Periko · Rating 5 out of 5]

qué bonito qué bonito QUÉ BONITO!! de una delicadeza tremenda y escrito maravillosamente… en fin que te hace pensar y agradecer a la gente que vino antes y que abrió tanto camino a costa de sus propias vidas

[Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

really gorgeous book that explored a lot and played with form in a rewarding way. terrible fucking cover tho jesus

[roibean · Rating 4 out of 5]

read 100 pages over 3 weeks, then 178 in a day. nuff said.

[Siobhan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deviants is a novel about three generations of gay men in India and the ways in which people are shaped by the time they live. Vivaan is a gay teenager in India's Silicon Plateau, and whilst his parents are supportive, they don't know about the online life he leads, in which sex and love aren't simple. His uncle Mambro's experience of being gay is very different, having grown up during a period when a colonial-era law prosecuting homosexuality was constantly being wielded, even as people in India fought to repeal it. And Mambro's uncle, Sukumar, was born in a time when he had no option, and his love for another man must be hidden, as he struggled to find a place for himself without hurting others.

This is a cleverly structured novel that is very powerful, with each chapter moving between the three stories and each narrative told with a different voice. Through this structure, it is easy to become immersed in all three stories and their connections and differences, which isn't always possible with a novel telling three parallel stories. Vivaan's voice notes are confessional, whereas Mambro's story is at a second-person remove, and Sukumar's is told in third person narration, and al of these suit the characters and their stories as well as serving to make them distinctive from each other. The three characters struggle with many of the same things, but also specific issues to their time, and particularly Vivaan's story takes a more futuristic approach to what intimacy might mean in new ways, that offer opportunity and peril.

Deviants is sad and humorous at once, balancing the three characters well to create a powerful exploration of being gay in India over the past decades.

[Daniel Kulesza · Rating 5 out of 5]

„if there is a precedent in the modern civilized world for citizens being made legal and then illegal, can fundamental rights be granted and stripped away at will, does the government not have a duty of care?”

it was fully-immersing read, casting light on India’s changing societal norms and opinions on homosexuality over decades in this fictional literary book.

I honestly had no idea of Section 377 in India and how in 2009 Delhi High Court declared section unconstitutional, only for Supreme Court of India to overturn it 4 years later in 2013, making homosexuality again criminalised!! And then only in 2018 Supreme Court voted to decriminalise (once again) homosexuality..

„But what if same-sex love is not an act of resistance, what if that’s just how it is for some people?”

The stories perfectly show how each generation have their own battles they need to face. And they are reminder of those who came before us.

„The pursuit of history is only for those who have a stake in the future.”

[Rocelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

mambro, my heart hurts for you💔

[finnleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is phenomenal and I think one of the best books I've ever read.

It follows the story of three gay men across three generations in India. Each character has such a unique and compelling tone of voice, but also the connectedness they all feel to each other is depicted in a really raw and believable way that builds throughout the book. Also the connection you feel to your relatives and the intergenerational trauma you inherit is also another compelling theme I felt. The writing is so beautiful, very dreamlike, and there are some incredible one liners.

[Karla Mayahua · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honestamente, me pareció muy triste y hubo capítulos hacia el final que me costó leer, pero creo que fue valioso conocer cómo se vive la sexualidad y lo queer en la India, que es un país conservador y ultra religioso. Fue muy interesante conocer las leyes colonialistas que les quedaron de Inglaterra respecto a las relaciones homosexuales y todos los cambios y sucesos que tuvo que vivir la comunidad y que siguen teniendo que experimentar para ser libres. Las historias de Mambro, Sukumar y Vivaan son muy diferentes y cubren muchos años, y me gusto que las voces de los personajes si se sintieran diferentes, en específico la de Mambro que era en primera persona. Ya no había leído un libro queer que fuera tan sombrío, porque afortunadamente ya estamos en la etapa en que incluso en ficción, se procura escribir historias felices para la comunidad, pero era necesario conocer la historia de estos tres personajes como fue y en el contexto social en el que vivieron para no volver a repetir eso y regresar a la intolerancia de tiempos pasados (que igual no es que hayamos avanzado mucho, con la derecha y el conservadurismo avanzando en nuestro mundo). El libro fue una increíble ventana a una cultura diferente, un país del que no tengo muchas referencias y que amplió mi perspectiva mucho más, que es lo que amo de la literatura. Si lo leen, revisen los tw y que estén en un espacio mental adecuado, pero si lo recomiendo bastante.

[Brittany (whatbritreads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Thank you to Penguin for sending me a gorgeous finished copy of this!*

I flicked between listening to the audiobook book for this one and reading the physical copy, and I really enjoyed it. I think it was extremely well written, and each perspective had its own distinct voice which is so hard to perfect. I love multigenerational stories, but having these three men be related as well just gave the book that extra emotional kick that really pulls you in. It was really engaging, so much so that I ended up reading it in a single sitting.

As someone who reads a lot of sapphic books that are 9 times out of 10 very Western, this was such a valuable shift in perspective for me. I think it really grounds you to open your worldview sometimes as the echo chamber of your own reality can often make you ignorant to how things are playing out elsewhere in the world. This book was really sobering for me in that regard really, because I was oblivious to the history of LGBT rights in India, and even to the current political and societal climate surrounding queer people.

I really loved the characters and how, despite the massive differences in the directions of their lives and upbringings, they still had so much common ground and experiences to relate to one another with. There’s a lot in here exploring complex familial dynamics, politics, and cultural expectations. I also liked in the present day storyline how we explored online dating apps and modern dating culture, that was very apt and quite funny.

This was really beautiful storytelling, but don’t underestimate the emotional devastation that it also brings. Some of this book is so deeply sad, but it’s balanced out with a really uplifting and hopeful vibe. The writing, rather than being bleak, still felt so electric and alive and full of humanity and emotion. It’s a book that acknowledges the past, but looks towards future generations with a lot of love and light.

[Erick Adams Foster · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tres historias, tres épocas y tres formas completamente diferentes de vivir y expresar la sexualidad en la India; y aunque cada generación la tiene "más sencilla", god, its brutal out here. Los tqm Mambro, Vivaan y Sukumar (en ese orden, jsjs).

[Moon Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC REVIEW

3.5 rounded up

Deviants tells the stories of three gay men over three generations in India; the present day told in the style in the form of a recorded monologue, his uncle, pitched as a manuscript of a memoir, and his uncle, as a story told after the fact.
Telling parallel stories of the gay experience at different points in history in India, contrasting social structures and attitudes are laid out through each generation and through hidden or open love.

I was (and kind of still am?) unsure about the tone of the narration. I found Vivaan’s sections truly infuriating, due to both the davt that he reads exactly like the cringiest of modern youth but also found a lot of his chapters slightly inept and rudimentary, which may have been the intention, but it wasn’t for me. However I found the other perspectives much more engaging and became invested in the developing narrative. These sections are beautifully written and are thick with the brutality of queerness in these timelines.
All narratives are rich with social politics, queer fear, queer joy, and culture. Deviants is definitely going to wow some readers, but unfortunately for me, a third of the narrative lessened it for me.

[LaEstanteriaDelCaos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Esta historia cuenta con tres líneas temporales de tres hombres en la India.
En primer lugar tenemos a Vivaan, que vive en la actualidad y descubre el amor a través de apps de citas. Su homosexualidad no es un secreto y su familia lo apoya e incluso están extremadamente emocionados con la lucha de sus derechos.
Por otro lado tenemos a Mambro, 30 años atrás en una India que aún sigue arrastrando las leyes de la época colonial.
Y por último Sukumar, tío abuelo de Vivaan y tío de Mambro, locamente enamorado de un hombre pero con la necesidad de fingir una vida que no era la suya.

La ambientación es increíble porque te sitúa en las diferentes épocas de la India, pero lo que más me ha llamado la atención es cómo cada personaje tiene su propia voz y podrías reconocer a cada uno solo con los diálogos que mantienen y por cómo actúan.

Me ha encantado la forma en la que el autor trata temas tan duros con una sensibilidad increíble, mezclando la religión, la tradición, la represión, la cultura, el conservacionismo y cómo a pesar de evolucionar socialmente aún quedan pequeños retazos de opresión.

Imaginad la gente que no pudo vivir su vida porque tenían que fingir todo, sus gustos, su forma de actuar, de vestir, de hablar… por pertenecer a una sociedad ultraconservadora.
Y es que aun en la actualidad, tras años de evolución, Vivaan sigue sin tenerlo fácil. Él sí puede vivir su sexualidad libremente, vive en la época en la que el porno está al alcance de cualquiera, el auge de las redes sociales, las relaciones diversas y no normativas, pero todo eso también afecta a la salud mental en un adolescente que acaba de salir del huevo.
Esta historia me ha hecho pasar por todos los estados emocionales posibles. Me he emocionado, me he reído y me he cabreado (sobre todo esto último) porque es imposible que lo que cuenta no te remueva por dentro, sobre todo con los relatos de Mambro y de Sukumar, ya que sin duda son los más duros (a mi parecer).
Y a pesar de la crudeza de la historia, el autor sabe sacar pequeñas pinceladas de esperanza y de alegría.
Los personajes me enamoraron desde el minuto uno, y aunque pertenecen a tres líneas temporales distintas, todo está muy bien hilado y no se me ha hecho ni confuso ni lento. Todas las subtramas me parecían interesantes.
Es un libro de masticar lento, de disfrutar y reflexionar con cada cita del autor.
Y es que, aunque esté ambientado en la India, no debemos olvidar que aquí en España teníamos la ley de vagos y maleantes, donde se incluía a los homosexuales en ella, siendo considerados un peligro para la “sana moral”.
Sin duda ha sido una historia que no olvidaré fácilmente y que me ha abierto los ojos en muchos aspectos. Tiene una oscuridad y crudeza que duele pero que permite ver un poco de luz.
Es importante que sepáis que hay TW así que el que avisa no es traidor.

LO QUE MÁS:
✅Los personajes me han enamorado desde el minuto uno.
✅La sensibilidad con la que está contada.
✅Todo es interesante.
✅La ambientación te traslada directamente a la India y en cómo es la sociedad de sus distintas épocas.

LO QUE MENOS:
❌Hay muchísimas palabras en hindi por lo que tener algo para traducir cerca.

[Szymon · Rating 4 out of 5]

these are just versions of you that you’re scattering like seeds on soil, in the hope that each will grow into a tree, different variants of the same species, and at least one will survive if there were a drought

A generational story of three gay men in India and how different it was for them to find their footing in Indian society. As they find love with X, Y, and Zee, their personal struggles unfold.

I found it interesting how well Bhattacharya encapsulated the boomer/millenial/gen Z gay experience. From having to ‚hide in the shadows‘ to experiencing love and queerness in your late twenties to being out and proud in your teens. Similarly, different dangers abound, be it the AIDS crisis or porn addiction, each protagonist carries a different weight about him.
Personally, I didn’t enjoy Vevaan‘s perspective, solely because it was a blend of atrocious ‚teen speak‘ and a transcript of a voice recording. The other two narratives flowed more naturally and felt more honest.
All in all, an interesting read about queerness in India. The cover is atrocious though, whoever picked it for this lovely book should reconsider their career.

[Xander Dale · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 i think this was soooo good tbh knew nothing about gay Indian history before this and this was soooo illustrative. can i just say tho this cover is AWFUL like so bad to the point where i would almost not pick it up like this is an angsty gay book not like... like the cover font gives more heated rivalry vibes to me idk. i also found this in ireland.

this is about the way laws surrounding homosexuality in India influence 3 generations of gay men in the same family. it takes us through each of these characters lives and upbringings and connects them to one another in a really beautiful way. i really enjoyed the way the author wrote unabashedly about sex here and i think he did such an accurate gen z gay dating portrayal #tbh

[Katy Wheatley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully told and framed across the lives of three men; grand uncle, uncle and nephew this tells the story of what it is to be gay in India. Both mamu and mambro grow up in the shadow of law 377, inherited from the days of colonial rule which criminalises homosexuality. The nephew, Vivaan is the product of a freer world but with that freedom still comes the hangover of shame and fear, it's just hidden but still as toxic. This is a story of hope but it is hope mixed with the clear eyed knowledge that there is still so much to be done.

[Elin Isaksson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Three generations of gay indian men, told with three different perspectives. The form didn't work for me, and several aspects felt very gimmicky. Switching between first, third and second perspective for each characters and naming the important love interests X, Y and Z made for a rough start that never won me over. Vivaan's story was the most interesting and new, the others felt quite done before.

[Arpita Bhuyan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emotional, honest, and a heartfelt story spanning three generations—woven with love, learning, and forgiveness. A solid 4 stars.

[Aditi Patel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I rlly wanted to like this but WOW is it boring

[Violet · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent novel about three generations of Indian men within one family - the great-uncle Mamu, the uncle Mambro, and a nephew, Vivaan. The novel is told through their lives, Mamu in the 1980s, Mambro in the 2000s, and Vivaan in current times through voice notes.
Stories with multiple timelines and characters can get confusing, especially when they go through similar experiences, but this one was written very skillfully and they had very distinctive voices, Vivaan reading very Gen-Z and contemporary. Through their lives we follow their struggles to be accepted, to fit in at times when their sexuality, thanks to Victorian laws and Section 377, still make them outlaws. Even when homosexuality is decriminalised, their safety isn't guaranteed and there are several incidents that make this very clear.
I found the insertion of AI themes in Vivaan's story a bit forced and not necessary nor interesting, but the rest of the novel was simply excellent.

Free ARC sent by Netgalley.

[Rafa Ch GS · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very touching story about three generations of gay men in one family. It moves beautifully between funny, exciting, heart-wrenching, and warm moments. I really liked how the three characters stay connected throughout the story — through shared experiences across different times — and how they continue to influence each other, even when they're not always close.

Coming from a culture that also centers family (though maybe not as strongly), I found it especially moving that part of the spirit of the book is the idea that telling someone's story is also telling their family's story — however complicated that may be.

The novel does a great job of weaving personal stories into the historical and social contexts of their times. It takes us into the dark places of having to hide who you are at the risk of violence or losing everything, but it also shows how the world has opened up over time.

It's beautifully written, and I’m looking forward to reading more from Santanu Bhattacharya. I would definitely recommend this book.

If I had one minor critique, it would be that the youngest character’s voice felt a little flat compared to the others. Still, it fits well into the overall chorus of the story.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible story of three generations of gay men and the issues they have growing up and living in India. Emotional, relatable and written in such an interesting way. Each of the three perspectives has an incredibly distinct voice. Pure perfection!

[Varun Iyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The writing felt pretentious at times, and a lot of it sounds ridiculous and exaggerated, but this also made me tear up so I’d say it was worth it!

note to self- gotta get outta this country bro

[Cristina]

“when the world wants nothing but to obliterate you, who are you to try and swim against the current?"

This was a library find! Glad I picked it up.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Ryan Dickson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful, intergenerational story! I’m so happy i made this book purchase abroad.

A quote that will stick with me: “Hate takes work, hate takes energy, hate takes investment, hate takes hate.”

[4suva · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5