Pride Month is over, marking a global celebration of the LGBTQ+ community's resilience, struggles, and the fight to make their voices heard. At TMS, we believe that one's identity should be celebrated year-round, not just during Pride Month. Here’s a curated selection of must-read queer literature by Indian-origin writers. These books not only enrich India's diverse queer literary landscape but also offer insights into the personal journeys of those navigating spaces largely dominated by cisgender and heteronormative perspectives. Through this year's fresh narratives, readers can gain a deeper understanding and empathy for the challenges faced by the queer community in India, prompting critical reflection on entrenched societal norms. Here are the five essential and upcoming books this year for you to read on the subject:
The Remains of the Body ( Penguin Random House India) by Saikat Majumder
Writer and literary critic Saikat Majumder, a faculty member at Delhi’s Ashoka University, believes love and desire are fundamental to human lives. However, it is society that always tries to restrict human beings in the name of normalcy. Majumder hence attempts to break the stereotypical norms by putting three Indians into the North American scenario, He explores the complex relationship among the three characters. The novel not only deals with love and queerness but also vividly analyses the nature of immigrant lives and ambitions.
In conversation with the TMS, the author, who believes that literature can move between normalcy and chaos, said, “I’m not quite sure why I decided to set this novel in North America, but having written it, I realize that the silence of the North American suburb allowed me a unique opportunity to focus on the inward lives of characters: their conversations, the underlying sexual tension between them, their memories of India. I think I’m generally an ‘atmospheric’ writer, with a particular interest in setting, but this novel focuses on private interiority against an environment that feels more blank and quiet – be it affluent San Diego suburbs or a snow-filled Quebec cottage. But the quietness is also deceptive, as it holds the simmering tensions and anxieties of immigrant ambition, some of which is driven towards the attainment of that very suburban life and its silent affluence.”
The Remains Of The Body tells the story of two childhood friends. When one's marriage takes the last breath due to the ambitions and complex nature of immigrant lives and practices, it inquires into the mind of the other friend who is stuck between social norms and desires. As Majumder says: “The novel tries to blur the limits between the erotic and the friendly, gay, and straight. I hope it is able to show that queerness is not merely a marginal identity – that there are also intense and lingering moments of queerness in lives imagined as heterosexual.”
Urban Elite v. Union of India: the unfulfilled constitutional promise of marriage (in)equality (Penguin Random House India) by Rohin Bhatt
Rohin Bhatt, 25, is a queer, non-binary lawyer who practises at the Supreme Court. They were one of the lawyers who fought for marriage equality and drafted petitions for cases filed by Sameer Samudra and Nitin Karani. Their book, scheduled to be out in October, is a memoir that blends their experiences as a queer lawyer and citizen with their interactions with the law.
“It is challenging for queer lawyers to manoeuvre through the legal space that is dominated by cis-gendered and heterosexual men,” says Bhatt. For instance, they mention the case of Saurabh Kripal not being appointed as the Supreme Court judge because of his sexual orientation, something Kripal has also agreed to. “One usually does not write about the cases one has been involved in; this has remained the tradition of the bar. But while in law school and struggling with my own queerness, I realised that there were few openly queer lawyers. This book will have done its job if one person in a law school knows that it is possible to be openly queer and survive in the legal profession,” Bhatt says. The book's title is also a pun on the argument made by the union government, shares Bhatt. The argument was that queerness only pertains to elite spaces.
While the book serves as a memoir, it is also written as a handbook for future lawyers. “It is written from both the lens of a lawyer and a queer person – whether or not I’ve been able to separate the two and bring out that distinction, that is for the readers to decide,” they say.
Have I Got Something To Tell You (Penguin Random House SEA) by Malachi Edwan Vethamani
The Malaysia-born author of Indian descent in his book includes several characters from different spectrums. The common point of all the characters is the loneliness that they all share. The book, out in August, is an anthology of short stories where women with troubled marriages play a vital role. Author Vethamani portrays the sufferings with the utmost care. In his conversation with us, Vethamani reflects on how loneliness brings all the characters together and constitutes the structure of the book. “In the 20 stories, there are a lot of issues that touch on matters that are considered contentious and even taboo in Malaysian society. My stories have a strong social realism dimension which touches on thorny issues like gender, sexuality and race relations. The situations my characters find themselves in are immediately recognisable in Malaysian society and it will resonate in contemporary Asian communities all over the world,” the author said.
Despite living in a modern society, the lives of women are still difficult. Their crises are often ignored by the patriarchal society, and as victims, they have a lot to tell. Vethamani, in his book, tries to make the readers listen to the collective voice of those women. “There is a common thread that runs through these stories – love, longing and loneliness. Both women and queer people experience these emotions and traumas. The women in my stories are mostly Indian women. Despite being part of modern societies, their lives are still very much dictated by patriarchal traditions. Women, like queer people, are very kept in the margins of Malaysian society, often silenced and lack agency. My stories give voice to these people who need to be given visibility, be heard and be empowered so they too can have fulfilling lives,” he added.
Djinns by Sara Haque
Sara Haque, 26, is part of the Queer Writer's Room Fellowship by the Queer Muslim Project, started seven years ago by Rafiul Alom Rahman. This fellowship provides queer storytellers with a platform to share their stories with the world and trains them to articulate their experiences of being both queer and Muslim.
Haque's memoir, Djinns, out in November, delves deeply into her personal journey. It recounts her introduction to religion through her dadi (grandmother) and how it has shaped her identity. “I come from a religious minority, and my gender and sexual orientation push me to the margins. Through this piece, I reclaim these spaces and navigate my stance as a queer Muslim,” she explains. Haque emphasises that religion is all about interpretation, and says: “Whoever is interpreting and keeping a certain section out of the religion is something one should note.”
Her memoir explores her relationship with the Djinn, an important spiritual figure in her family, and how it helped her find solace and discover her true self. It addresses the debate over the existence and acceptance of queerness in Islam. On this topic, Haque has a clear message: “Some say that religion does not allow you to be queer, but if you were not allowed, then why would you have been created and survived through all these generations?” Through her memoir, Haque invites readers into her world, offering a poignant narrative that challenges entrenched religious interpretations and societal norms.
Summer Of Then (Penguin Random House India) by Rupleena Bose
In the world of Tinder and Bumble, Rupleena Bose's book Summer Of Then talks about Grinder, a queer dating app where Pat, one of her protagonists tries to kickstart his life by forgetting all the past traumas caused by several failed relationships. However, the book is not limited to Pat only. Three other characters play prominent roles in constructing the novel. An unnamed teacher of literature, who is curious to get some answers about her political and personal choices, narrates the story. She depicts the story of Nikhil and Zafar, who share a homo-erotic bond. And there comes Pat, a queer academic who also tries to find some solace.
Questioning the social restrictions, Bose said, The story is about modern lives and the question of desire and how it is sometimes at loggerheads with societal restrictions and morality. It is also relevant because the university is like the microcosm of the world and yet a liberal free space that is always in danger from the larger political intentions. It is what Pat faces in a decade which finally leads him to choices and spaces where he can be free.”
The one question that often pops up is whether Indian readers are open to accepting queer love stories in literature. Bose believes that the awareness among them has increased. “I absolutely think the awareness around Queer Literature is much more than it ever was before. For example, I teach literature in a Delhi University college where last semester I was teaching this course called Interrogating Queerness which is very popular among the students. Students actually requested us to offer the course as it's an optional one and we did.”