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She & Hers
What really is the true definition of love? That which we set, or that which our bodies define?
When Yash meets Renu, they quickly move from the physical to the metaphysical plane where Renu’s story is unfolding itself in ways that it begins to shake Yash’s world. And as he starts to question his ideas of manhood, of love, of normalcy, he also helps build another world—a world of love, inhabited and unsullied by men.
From delicate layers of human emotions, the author builds a narrative that shows a mirror to patriarchy and redundant notions of love. He punctures the ideals of male gaze and male superiority and jabs a finger at societal norms and the idea of ‘normal’.
She & Hers is not just a story of queer love, it’s also a multidimensional lens under which each character though flawed, seeks a life of fulfilment and understanding.
When Yash meets Renu, they quickly move from the physical to the metaphysical plane where Renu’s story is unfolding itself in ways that it begins to shake Yash’s world. And as he starts to question his ideas of manhood, of love, of normalcy, he also helps build another world—a world of love, inhabited and unsullied by men.
From delicate layers of human emotions, the author builds a narrative that shows a mirror to patriarchy and redundant notions of love. He punctures the ideals of male gaze and male superiority and jabs a finger at societal norms and the idea of ‘normal’.
She & Hers is not just a story of queer love, it’s also a multidimensional lens under which each character though flawed, seeks a life of fulfilment and understanding.
208 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 30, 2025
3 people are currently reading
13 people want to read
About the author
Manav Kaul
32 books397 followersकश्मीर के बारामूला में पैदा हुए मानव कौल, होशंगाबाद (म.प्र.) में परवरिश के रास्ते पिछले 20 सालों से मुंबई में फ़िल्मी दुनिया, अभिनय, नाट्य-निर्देशन और लेखन का अभिन्न हिस्सा बने हुए हैं। अपने हर नए नाटक से हिंदी रंगमंच की दुनिया को चौंकाने वाले मानव ने अपने ख़ास गद्य के लिए साहित्य-पाठकों के बीच भी उतनी ही विशेष जगह बनाई है। इनकी पिछली दोनों किताबें ‘ठीक तुम्हारे पीछे’ और ‘प्रेम कबूतर’ दैनिक जागरण नीलसन बेस्टसेलर में शामिल हो चुकी हैं।
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 8, 2026
She and Hers by Manav Kaul ( translated from Hindi by Sayari Debnath ) presents a quiet and reflexive reading experience that centers upon a relationship that resists categorization. The story centres around characters Yash and Renu who are individuals whose relationship troubles all the notions that all of them hold dear in matters that concern love, gender, relationships, and identity.
Yash brings with him the received notions, conceptions of maleness, emotion, and how love should work. Renu, on the other hand, inhabits the world with the stability that requires no acknowledgement or validation. She does not set forth the righteousness of her ideology, because she lives it. When Yash is with her, it is neither the dynamic of their relationship nor the relationship itself that shifts, it is how he chooses to understand it. The dynamic of the book rests on this realignment, the way closeness unsettles certainty.
There is no progression of plot but through reflection. Dialogues loop back, memories cut into the present, and silences become as important as words. There are no dramatic announcements or conclusions drawn either. It is Manav Kaul, then, who chooses to allow discomfort to be discomfort and hopes to take the reader along with him through the same. Love, pin this case, is not possession or fulfillment but attention and listening and being disturbed even.
What is most distinctive about She and Hers is its resistance to the simplification of women as signs or as moral messages. Renu is not written as an idea, much less as a lesson, but as an existence that is self-contained, opaque, and full in the way that Yash is only just beginning to understand he needs to respect, not try to understand.
The writing is spartan, reflective, and deliberately unthrilled,Kudos to the translator as well. It is as if the narrative is a series of pauses linked together in thought. This is a novel that does not tell you what to feel; rather, it invites you to explore what you are assuming.
Yash brings with him the received notions, conceptions of maleness, emotion, and how love should work. Renu, on the other hand, inhabits the world with the stability that requires no acknowledgement or validation. She does not set forth the righteousness of her ideology, because she lives it. When Yash is with her, it is neither the dynamic of their relationship nor the relationship itself that shifts, it is how he chooses to understand it. The dynamic of the book rests on this realignment, the way closeness unsettles certainty.
There is no progression of plot but through reflection. Dialogues loop back, memories cut into the present, and silences become as important as words. There are no dramatic announcements or conclusions drawn either. It is Manav Kaul, then, who chooses to allow discomfort to be discomfort and hopes to take the reader along with him through the same. Love, pin this case, is not possession or fulfillment but attention and listening and being disturbed even.
What is most distinctive about She and Hers is its resistance to the simplification of women as signs or as moral messages. Renu is not written as an idea, much less as a lesson, but as an existence that is self-contained, opaque, and full in the way that Yash is only just beginning to understand he needs to respect, not try to understand.
The writing is spartan, reflective, and deliberately unthrilled,Kudos to the translator as well. It is as if the narrative is a series of pauses linked together in thought. This is a novel that does not tell you what to feel; rather, it invites you to explore what you are assuming.
December 2, 2025
Something in me shattered as I read this one.
December 8, 2025
It is a narrative about Renu and Rajula who love each other in their unique manner. Society required them to transform to be what they are not, just as many of them find it hard to find out who they really are. Both women were traumatized by the cruel utterances of the society! The protagonist, Yash, is in need of his mother. He believes that, had mom been alive today, I would say it to her, I would say that to her. He attempts to comprehend their relationship!
Shikha in this book says, “You men suppose that when you sleep with us you have comprehended us!” It depicts the way men think that intimacy is equated to understanding. As a matter of fact, men seldom understand the intricacy of women moms, sisters, friends, lovers. They want to identify themselves with women. By reading this book, I understood that the story by Manav Kaul will stay with people. In the long run, the readers can eventually understand the significance of this topic. As a man, it must have been hard that he should write this story!
The absurdity of the male gaze is revealed in the book. It shows the wish of all people to own the voice of another person. By observing the other people as they suffer, we enjoy putting on patriarchal lenses and shortening our sight. This hurts men, too. We never know love in its purest and quiet down those who do not want to be mortgaged!
The book has honored the old ones like Orlando, After Sappho, The well of loneliness and Call Me by Your Name. I can recommend this book to individuals who value their freedom to live and embrace other people with love and honor!🩷
Shikha in this book says, “You men suppose that when you sleep with us you have comprehended us!” It depicts the way men think that intimacy is equated to understanding. As a matter of fact, men seldom understand the intricacy of women moms, sisters, friends, lovers. They want to identify themselves with women. By reading this book, I understood that the story by Manav Kaul will stay with people. In the long run, the readers can eventually understand the significance of this topic. As a man, it must have been hard that he should write this story!
The absurdity of the male gaze is revealed in the book. It shows the wish of all people to own the voice of another person. By observing the other people as they suffer, we enjoy putting on patriarchal lenses and shortening our sight. This hurts men, too. We never know love in its purest and quiet down those who do not want to be mortgaged!
The book has honored the old ones like Orlando, After Sappho, The well of loneliness and Call Me by Your Name. I can recommend this book to individuals who value their freedom to live and embrace other people with love and honor!🩷
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews