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Deviants
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
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
352 pages, Hardcover
Published February 13, 2025
42 people are currently reading
1190 people want to read
About the author
Santanu Bhattacharya
2 books52 followersSantanu 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
March 16, 2025
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.
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.
April 15, 2025
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
July 26, 2025
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
February 27, 2025
So, so, so beautiful.
May 29, 2025
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.
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.
October 19, 2024
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.
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.
January 24, 2025
really gorgeous book that explored a lot and played with form in a rewarding way. terrible fucking cover tho jesus
December 15, 2025
mambro, my heart hurts for you💔
February 6, 2025
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.
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.
July 7, 2025
*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.
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.
July 30, 2025
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.
July 30, 2025
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).
February 13, 2025
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.
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.
October 6, 2025
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.
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.
April 11, 2025
Emotional, honest, and a heartfelt story spanning three generations—woven with love, learning, and forgiveness. A solid 4 stars.
March 1, 2025
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.
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.
May 29, 2025
Beautifully touching - this book creates a much needed queer mythology that its own characters yearn for and far from being a simple generational story of progress or a “coming out novel” (not that there’s anything wrong with that!), the text grapples with the enduring question of what it means to be queer in a society that was never built for you. It’s about building an existence on the margins and how unwieldy and lonely that can be. Within a south Asian context, this only hits home more because of the deeply entrenched values of community and society in our culture. Even more fascinating and well done for me was the spotlight it done on the women in the book and the pressure on them to manage and uphold particular systems and themselves bear the brunt of a society that denies queerness. My only and main criticism would be that at times the novel was a bit contrived with its connections between the three characters and sometimes parallels became imitations that felt a bit shoehorned.
April 28, 2025
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.
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.
April 9, 2025
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!
April 7, 2025
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
note to self- gotta get outta this country bro
May 9, 2025
Outstanding! 3 gay men over 3 generations in the same family who have to navigate their own journeys at different stages of India's development. I loved it.
February 10, 2025
Review - Deviants - Santanu Bhattacharya
ARC provided by @netgalley @penguinfigtree
I read this authors debut, One Small Voice, two years ago and still wax lyrical about it recommending it to anyone who loves to be transported to another time and place.
I will now be recommending two titles by @santanu_bx as this is a phenomenal follow up. Some themes remain across both books, the experience of gay men in India, the sociopolitical landscape that shape our experience of time and place and characters that you are invested in.
The novel follows three generations of gay men in the same family and has a beautiful way of using varying formats to cleverly place the character in their timeframe. Vivaan is in the here and now via voice notes in the first person, Mambo is thirty years his senior and writes his manuscript in the second person and we hear Mamu’s story via a third person narrative.
Vivaan has a privileged upbringing with supportive liberal parents so in theory has the easiest ride but the introduction of malevolent AI stopped me in my tracks when considering how this technology could (or possibly is) able to connect with and manipulate/mine young people for ‘data’ around their sexual selves, creating a reliance and possible addiction.
Throughout we are presented with three dimensional flawed characters but their plight and vulnerability evoke compassion and warmth. I was willing things to work out for all three protagonists even when I knew it just wouldn’t have been possible.
There is a certain knack to writing and describing objects, rituals, food and festivals to a degree that makes the reader stop reading and research! I’m fairly sure there could be a sell out book reading with accompanying food experience with the dishes mentioned in this novel - just an idea @santanu_bx - I’ll be there if it happens!
With Deviants being a novel that matches the debut, One Small Voice, I have found my next go to author and cannot wait for further work from Santanu Bhattacharya.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
ARC provided by @netgalley @penguinfigtree
I read this authors debut, One Small Voice, two years ago and still wax lyrical about it recommending it to anyone who loves to be transported to another time and place.
I will now be recommending two titles by @santanu_bx as this is a phenomenal follow up. Some themes remain across both books, the experience of gay men in India, the sociopolitical landscape that shape our experience of time and place and characters that you are invested in.
The novel follows three generations of gay men in the same family and has a beautiful way of using varying formats to cleverly place the character in their timeframe. Vivaan is in the here and now via voice notes in the first person, Mambo is thirty years his senior and writes his manuscript in the second person and we hear Mamu’s story via a third person narrative.
Vivaan has a privileged upbringing with supportive liberal parents so in theory has the easiest ride but the introduction of malevolent AI stopped me in my tracks when considering how this technology could (or possibly is) able to connect with and manipulate/mine young people for ‘data’ around their sexual selves, creating a reliance and possible addiction.
Throughout we are presented with three dimensional flawed characters but their plight and vulnerability evoke compassion and warmth. I was willing things to work out for all three protagonists even when I knew it just wouldn’t have been possible.
There is a certain knack to writing and describing objects, rituals, food and festivals to a degree that makes the reader stop reading and research! I’m fairly sure there could be a sell out book reading with accompanying food experience with the dishes mentioned in this novel - just an idea @santanu_bx - I’ll be there if it happens!
With Deviants being a novel that matches the debut, One Small Voice, I have found my next go to author and cannot wait for further work from Santanu Bhattacharya.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
September 8, 2024
Deviants is a compulsive read, it's funny, it's full of feeling and emotion and it's intimate and heart-wrenching.
It's the story of three generations of gay men in India, and the trials and tribulations homosexual people go through in homophobic societies.
Intelligently written, it's a story of persecution, but it's also a story of hope against all the odds.
The characters are well developed and believable, and the world they inhabit feels real.
I read this in two sittings.
4 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 's from me.
It's the story of three generations of gay men in India, and the trials and tribulations homosexual people go through in homophobic societies.
Intelligently written, it's a story of persecution, but it's also a story of hope against all the odds.
The characters are well developed and believable, and the world they inhabit feels real.
I read this in two sittings.
4 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 's from me.
August 20, 2025
Devastatingly beautiful (although the Gen Z POV lingo is a bit too much). A very nuanced approach to a topic that is relevant but I had no idea it had been so topical in India until pretty much yesterday. And to think I almost DNFd this 30 pages in!
February 20, 2025
“Deviants: The Queer Family Chronicles” comes close on the heels of Santanu Bhattacharya’s stunning debut novel, “One Small Voice”. The novel follows the stories of three generations of gay men in the same family. Vivaan is a typical Gen Z youth- 17, but passing as older on dating apps. He came into his sexuality after the decriminalisation of homosexuality, and not only does he have supportive parents, he goes to a school which, at least on the face of it, accepts diversity. His uncle, Mambro (mother’s brother -> mam’s bro) discovered his sexuality in the mid 1990s- he carried his homosexuality like a guilty secret in his youth and early adulthood. Through his story, we see the joy experienced by the queer community when homosexuality was decriminalised by the High Court in 2009, and of how the community was shattered when the Supreme Court overruled the judgement a few years later. Knowing that his right to live his life as he wanted could be snatched away anytime, he realised that the only way to survive was by leaving the country. Mambro’s uncle, Sukumar, grew up in Calcutta in the 1970s. for him, homosexuality was a dirty secret which he didn’t want to acknowledge even to himself. He ended up spending most of his life as a frustrated man, let himself be talked into a marriage that ended in disaster. He died feeling that he was a failure who had let down everyone who ever cared about him.
Through these three queer characters, the author traces the journey of the queer movement in India. However, the book does not pretend to be a history of the movement. What it is is the story of three very different men from three different families and three different time periods, each dealing with his sexuality in the way he knows best. The power of the novel is in the fact that at no point does the author pretend that any of his characters is representative of his generation of queer men, or that their challenges are those of all others in their time. Though the subject of the novel is political in nature, it is in fact a deeply personal novel.
On the face of it, it would appear that things have got progressively easier for each generation, but in reality, though the laws may have changed, the outlook of people has not clearly not kept pace. This comes out most strongly in the story of Mambro who realises that in this country, to be a queer person is to be vulnerable at all times. He witnessed the law change multiple times, and realises that even if homosexuality has legal protection today, there is no guarantee that the law might not again be changed. Vivaan appears to have it easy- he has supportive parents and a supportive community. Yet, he realises that the acceptance might be superficial- would the people who support him today be equally accepting if someone in their own family comes out as queer?
The book is extremely sound structurally. The stories of the three characters are narrated in three very different ways. Vivaan’s story is told through voice notes dictated onto an app- it is in first person and captures the nuances of the speech patterns and thought processes of the Gen Z character extremely well. Sukumar’s story is narrated in the third person, most probably by his nephew. It is rich in detail, and the North Calcutta neighbourhood of the 1970s and 80s comes alive through the pages. Sukumar, also, is the only one of the three who accepts his victimhood. He had made a mess of his life both professionally and personally, and, at one time, he even wonders if he has made any positive impact on any anybody. Mambro’s story is narrated in the second person and told through journal entries. This is the section where there is most introspection. Mambro has been through a lot, and while one might think that the use of the second person narrative would put some distance between him and the horrific incidents that he has gone through, this is the part that leaves you most shaken.
Each of the three men had their partners, who are named X, Y and Z. Vivan, in fact, has two partners- Zee and Zed, both of whom are well fleshed out. This could be indicative of the fact that by the time Z appears, homosexuality is no longer criminalised, so the partners can be out in the open. This does not, however protect Vivaan from heartbreak or emotional turmoil. Both X and Y hide their gay identity and settle for normal heterosexual relationships. X remains in Sukumar’s life, and the demands he makes on Sukumar and his family reflect how homosexuality was completely invisiblised in those times.
Of all the incidents in the book, one which I read multiple times was of how the first thing that Mambro did after the reading down of Section 377 was to walk into a hospital and gets an AIDs test done. This was at a time when the AIDS epidemic had gripped the world, yet, because homosexuality was a criminal offence in India, queer persons were terrified to even get the test done. This, more than anything else, shows how desperate things actually were for queer persons in India.
Read the book because it is a story of human beings trying to make the best of their circumstances and stealing moments of joy even from their bleak lives. Read the book to understand what it means to be a part of a persecuted minority- even when things seem great on the surface, there is discrimination and prejudice flapping away below the surface. Read the book because it not only examines the socio-political landscape of the country with hope tempered with apprehension.
I thank Westland for the advance review copy. The views are my own.
Through these three queer characters, the author traces the journey of the queer movement in India. However, the book does not pretend to be a history of the movement. What it is is the story of three very different men from three different families and three different time periods, each dealing with his sexuality in the way he knows best. The power of the novel is in the fact that at no point does the author pretend that any of his characters is representative of his generation of queer men, or that their challenges are those of all others in their time. Though the subject of the novel is political in nature, it is in fact a deeply personal novel.
On the face of it, it would appear that things have got progressively easier for each generation, but in reality, though the laws may have changed, the outlook of people has not clearly not kept pace. This comes out most strongly in the story of Mambro who realises that in this country, to be a queer person is to be vulnerable at all times. He witnessed the law change multiple times, and realises that even if homosexuality has legal protection today, there is no guarantee that the law might not again be changed. Vivaan appears to have it easy- he has supportive parents and a supportive community. Yet, he realises that the acceptance might be superficial- would the people who support him today be equally accepting if someone in their own family comes out as queer?
The book is extremely sound structurally. The stories of the three characters are narrated in three very different ways. Vivaan’s story is told through voice notes dictated onto an app- it is in first person and captures the nuances of the speech patterns and thought processes of the Gen Z character extremely well. Sukumar’s story is narrated in the third person, most probably by his nephew. It is rich in detail, and the North Calcutta neighbourhood of the 1970s and 80s comes alive through the pages. Sukumar, also, is the only one of the three who accepts his victimhood. He had made a mess of his life both professionally and personally, and, at one time, he even wonders if he has made any positive impact on any anybody. Mambro’s story is narrated in the second person and told through journal entries. This is the section where there is most introspection. Mambro has been through a lot, and while one might think that the use of the second person narrative would put some distance between him and the horrific incidents that he has gone through, this is the part that leaves you most shaken.
Each of the three men had their partners, who are named X, Y and Z. Vivan, in fact, has two partners- Zee and Zed, both of whom are well fleshed out. This could be indicative of the fact that by the time Z appears, homosexuality is no longer criminalised, so the partners can be out in the open. This does not, however protect Vivaan from heartbreak or emotional turmoil. Both X and Y hide their gay identity and settle for normal heterosexual relationships. X remains in Sukumar’s life, and the demands he makes on Sukumar and his family reflect how homosexuality was completely invisiblised in those times.
Of all the incidents in the book, one which I read multiple times was of how the first thing that Mambro did after the reading down of Section 377 was to walk into a hospital and gets an AIDs test done. This was at a time when the AIDS epidemic had gripped the world, yet, because homosexuality was a criminal offence in India, queer persons were terrified to even get the test done. This, more than anything else, shows how desperate things actually were for queer persons in India.
Read the book because it is a story of human beings trying to make the best of their circumstances and stealing moments of joy even from their bleak lives. Read the book to understand what it means to be a part of a persecuted minority- even when things seem great on the surface, there is discrimination and prejudice flapping away below the surface. Read the book because it not only examines the socio-political landscape of the country with hope tempered with apprehension.
I thank Westland for the advance review copy. The views are my own.
August 27, 2025
The novel spans through the lives of 3 queer men across 3 generations. When I started reading, I almost DNF'd because the start was too slow for my liking, the author's writing style didn't appeal to me and Vivaan's narration was truly infuriating. But I'm glad I pushed through.
Grandmamu's (Sukumar) story is set in the 1970s, an era that chastised a person for being gay under Section 377; Mambro's in the mid 1990s; and Vivaan's in the current year. As you read through you can't help notice how the queer landscape has shifted from then to now - how Grandmamu had to hide his identity while Vivaan openly flaunts (as he should) his identity.
The novel is about their individual stories, gently intertwined at the right moments to remind each of them that even if the whole world sidelined them, there was at least one person in the family that would have really just understood and seen them for who they really were.
The novel is about the struggles - unexaggerated, sometimes loud, mostly silent, but nevertheless realistic. Of finding love, but also losing it. Of trying to fit in, but realizing you are just playing a losing game. There is raw emotion in the words of each of these stories, esp Mambro's. It breaks you at certain points.
(Spoilers ahead)
..
The novel is also about the little wins.
Sukumar never associating his sexual identity with religion."The more Sukumar visited the docklands, the more his prayers gained fervour; not because he was ashamed, needed purification, atonement for his sins, but because he believed it must have been god that had led him there and finally made him feel worthy of desire". This is such a powerful stance taken against those who always have to unnecessarily mix religion and homosexuality.
Or the time when Vivaan realizes he never needed Z to have the best fucking orgasm in the world - that feeling of freedom, to break away from the confines of his previous lover, the realization that you are enough, that was truly truly beautiful.
Or maybe it's that short period of time when Section 377 was struck down and the whole queer community came to life. Or the time the law got reinstated again by which time the community just said 'We are tired of this. Do whatever you want to do.'
But if I had to pick the two most important wins in the book, id definitely pick the time when Mambro finally finds the courage to go buy the English translation of the book 'Lihaaf' and the book keeper doesn't bat an eyelid; and the time he gets his HIV / STD test done and the nurse doesnt falter. Nothing will ever match that level of freedom.
Grandmamu's (Sukumar) story is set in the 1970s, an era that chastised a person for being gay under Section 377; Mambro's in the mid 1990s; and Vivaan's in the current year. As you read through you can't help notice how the queer landscape has shifted from then to now - how Grandmamu had to hide his identity while Vivaan openly flaunts (as he should) his identity.
The novel is about their individual stories, gently intertwined at the right moments to remind each of them that even if the whole world sidelined them, there was at least one person in the family that would have really just understood and seen them for who they really were.
The novel is about the struggles - unexaggerated, sometimes loud, mostly silent, but nevertheless realistic. Of finding love, but also losing it. Of trying to fit in, but realizing you are just playing a losing game. There is raw emotion in the words of each of these stories, esp Mambro's. It breaks you at certain points.
(Spoilers ahead)
..
The novel is also about the little wins.
Sukumar never associating his sexual identity with religion."The more Sukumar visited the docklands, the more his prayers gained fervour; not because he was ashamed, needed purification, atonement for his sins, but because he believed it must have been god that had led him there and finally made him feel worthy of desire". This is such a powerful stance taken against those who always have to unnecessarily mix religion and homosexuality.
Or the time when Vivaan realizes he never needed Z to have the best fucking orgasm in the world - that feeling of freedom, to break away from the confines of his previous lover, the realization that you are enough, that was truly truly beautiful.
Or maybe it's that short period of time when Section 377 was struck down and the whole queer community came to life. Or the time the law got reinstated again by which time the community just said 'We are tired of this. Do whatever you want to do.'
But if I had to pick the two most important wins in the book, id definitely pick the time when Mambro finally finds the courage to go buy the English translation of the book 'Lihaaf' and the book keeper doesn't bat an eyelid; and the time he gets his HIV / STD test done and the nurse doesnt falter. Nothing will ever match that level of freedom.
February 26, 2025
I was keen to pick this up after hearing Santanu Bhattacharya talk about his work at the Surrey New Writers’ Festival, so added it to my TBR. Deviants tells the stories of three generations of gay men in and around what was once India's 'garden city' and is now its 'silicon plateau', Bengaluru, but the line of connection is through uncle-nephew rather than father-son. The structure is smart and satisfying, alternating between the perspectives of the three men. In the present day, Viviaan's first-person voice notes explore his relationship with boyfriend Zee and his discomfort with both the enforced coupledom of school prom and what Zee starts calling 'ethical non-monogamy'. In the 1980s, his uncle, whom he calls Mambro, struggles with abusive college days in a harrowing second-person narrative. In the 1960s, Mambro's uncle Sukumar's story is told in a more deliberately distant third person as he lives and dies before sex between men was legalised in India after the repeal of a British colonial law.
It took me a little while to get into each of these narratives, especially Viviaan's, which starts in full-force Generation Z cliches ('Cringe! So here's the thing about Dad. He wears the rainbow tinted glasses of a cis het liberal male... If he could write software that would automatically overlay a rainbow filter on everyone's profile pic, he'd do it right now. Also yes, he still does use Facebook, ewww!') but thankfully settles. In fact, Viviaan's story ended up being my favourite, but I appreciated the others as well, with Bhattacharya making all three protagonists into individuals rather than defaulting to the kind of characterisation-by-family role that often happens in multi-generational sagas. Maybe the uncle-nephew connection is not only refreshing in a world so fixated on inheritance via the nuclear family, but allowed Bhattacharya to think differently. And far from being a story about simple liberation, Deviants shows how each new generation of gay men face their own challenges. Viviaan's reflection at prom as he watches his peers dance ends up being a question all of the protagonists have to face: 'THIS was society in miniature, circles of men on the outside and women on the inside. The only way to survive here was to stay out of it, or watch from afar, or include ourselves and be humiliated. The question... that night was, which kind of gays were we going to be?'
I received a free proof copy of this novel from the publisher for review.
It took me a little while to get into each of these narratives, especially Viviaan's, which starts in full-force Generation Z cliches ('Cringe! So here's the thing about Dad. He wears the rainbow tinted glasses of a cis het liberal male... If he could write software that would automatically overlay a rainbow filter on everyone's profile pic, he'd do it right now. Also yes, he still does use Facebook, ewww!') but thankfully settles. In fact, Viviaan's story ended up being my favourite, but I appreciated the others as well, with Bhattacharya making all three protagonists into individuals rather than defaulting to the kind of characterisation-by-family role that often happens in multi-generational sagas. Maybe the uncle-nephew connection is not only refreshing in a world so fixated on inheritance via the nuclear family, but allowed Bhattacharya to think differently. And far from being a story about simple liberation, Deviants shows how each new generation of gay men face their own challenges. Viviaan's reflection at prom as he watches his peers dance ends up being a question all of the protagonists have to face: 'THIS was society in miniature, circles of men on the outside and women on the inside. The only way to survive here was to stay out of it, or watch from afar, or include ourselves and be humiliated. The question... that night was, which kind of gays were we going to be?'
I received a free proof copy of this novel from the publisher for review.
April 3, 2025
This book is devastatingly beautiful. It broke my heart, it made me cry, it made me wonder how we have been living as a close knitted society and not really knowing the reality or maybe we all are just a bunch of ignorant people.
The writing is flawless, it's poetic, you can breathe the characters. The author has done justice to the men belonging to different generations in a way how they expressed themselves.
When it's comes to Sukumar's story it had so much depth and emotions, i could feel Suku's ginormous heart and naivety in my bones. In Mambro's story I could feel his plight, his struggles and his constant battle to fit in the mould whereas Vivaan's story justified today's time and the progressive mindset of only a handful of Indian parents yet they were all the same belonging to the family of queers seperated by generations and facing the high and lows of life as it is.
I'd say 'Language' is the hero of the book because the way it transitioned from one generation to another from Sukumar's to Mambro's to Vivaan's made the book wholesome.
It's an honest and raw account of one's family's history, it's legacy. It's beautiful, it's sensual, it's heartbreaking, it's humorous and it's everything a good book can be.
I loved reading every second of this book. Also it's captivating, i finished this book in one sitting.
The writing is flawless, it's poetic, you can breathe the characters. The author has done justice to the men belonging to different generations in a way how they expressed themselves.
When it's comes to Sukumar's story it had so much depth and emotions, i could feel Suku's ginormous heart and naivety in my bones. In Mambro's story I could feel his plight, his struggles and his constant battle to fit in the mould whereas Vivaan's story justified today's time and the progressive mindset of only a handful of Indian parents yet they were all the same belonging to the family of queers seperated by generations and facing the high and lows of life as it is.
I'd say 'Language' is the hero of the book because the way it transitioned from one generation to another from Sukumar's to Mambro's to Vivaan's made the book wholesome.
It's an honest and raw account of one's family's history, it's legacy. It's beautiful, it's sensual, it's heartbreaking, it's humorous and it's everything a good book can be.
I loved reading every second of this book. Also it's captivating, i finished this book in one sitting.
December 22, 2025
I’ve got a lot to say about this book, but I’ll keep it short! It exposes our messy humanity in ways that make it essential reading, poses so many complex questions. One of my top ten reads of the year, for sure!!
This is a raw exploration of colonialism’s legacy and its brutal impact on how we live, love, and respect our identities. Its do easy to hate, so much harder to find understanding, wisdom and compassion. So much easier to shoot down, so much harder to care, to hug, to befriend.
Through the POV of three generations: Vivaan, Grand Mamu, and Mambro, Bhattacharya reveals how the British Empire’s oppression still echoes in the fight for queer rights in South Asia and many other colonies! It’s such a mess!!
This novel is compulsive, wrenching, and impossible to put down. I read it in one sitting over the weekend.
“It’s not that things have become easier for you, Vivaan. People like you and me, we’ll always be on the fringes. You’ll have your own battles, like I’ve had mine, still do, and god knows Mamu had his. But at least you have us—me, your mom, Dad, Cool-bro, Dadu, Didu—you’ll find more people along the way. Never lock yourself up in that shell you went into. Never feel like you have to figure this out on your own.”
The battle for freedom, equality, and respect is far from over, but we don’t have to do it alone. #pudseyrecommends
This is a raw exploration of colonialism’s legacy and its brutal impact on how we live, love, and respect our identities. Its do easy to hate, so much harder to find understanding, wisdom and compassion. So much easier to shoot down, so much harder to care, to hug, to befriend.
Through the POV of three generations: Vivaan, Grand Mamu, and Mambro, Bhattacharya reveals how the British Empire’s oppression still echoes in the fight for queer rights in South Asia and many other colonies! It’s such a mess!!
This novel is compulsive, wrenching, and impossible to put down. I read it in one sitting over the weekend.
“It’s not that things have become easier for you, Vivaan. People like you and me, we’ll always be on the fringes. You’ll have your own battles, like I’ve had mine, still do, and god knows Mamu had his. But at least you have us—me, your mom, Dad, Cool-bro, Dadu, Didu—you’ll find more people along the way. Never lock yourself up in that shell you went into. Never feel like you have to figure this out on your own.”
The battle for freedom, equality, and respect is far from over, but we don’t have to do it alone. #pudseyrecommends
October 13, 2025
This is Bhattacharya’s second book (I haven’t read his first), and judging by his author photos he is young, still in his twenties I’d guess. Who knows how his career and talents will develop? In the future, this will be ‘an early novel’ of his, and I can only say that I think it’s been overpraised.
The plot intercuts the suffering of three generations of gay Indian men in a mostly unaccepting society. The prose isn’t particularly pleasurable to read. Its default mode seems to be strings of clauses, often repeating the same points, separated by commas; I would describe it as styleless. Each of the men’s stories is told from a different perspective: first person for the modern-day teenager, second person for his uncle, third person for his great-uncle.
The language can be stilted and bland, and I wondered if this was intentional, an attempt at expressing character through narrative voice, but we get it in the third person sections as well, so I don’t know. Perhaps the author just has a bit of a tin ear. There are some good scenes, and the book is certainly ambitious, but the quality of the prose tended to deaden it for me.
The plot intercuts the suffering of three generations of gay Indian men in a mostly unaccepting society. The prose isn’t particularly pleasurable to read. Its default mode seems to be strings of clauses, often repeating the same points, separated by commas; I would describe it as styleless. Each of the men’s stories is told from a different perspective: first person for the modern-day teenager, second person for his uncle, third person for his great-uncle.
The language can be stilted and bland, and I wondered if this was intentional, an attempt at expressing character through narrative voice, but we get it in the third person sections as well, so I don’t know. Perhaps the author just has a bit of a tin ear. There are some good scenes, and the book is certainly ambitious, but the quality of the prose tended to deaden it for me.
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