Fiction
Verdict: Read it!
This is the first novel by Saikat Majumdar I'm ready. Again with the very pretty cover art that caught my attention.
The author takes us through a very specific period of a young monk apprentice's life. Mostly his relationship with a fellow student and some mentorship relationships are explored. I must say, there was a very Tarun Tejpal energy going on here - the kind that makes the reader deeply uncomfortable.
This is also one of the few books I've read that acknowleges male homosexual relationships at all, not to mention in the neutral observational tone this book takes. It does wander into uncomfortable territory at how the main character's mentors may have engineered that relationship and encouraged it, but overall just has a boy discovering his sexuality in the way that most teenagers do. There's no judgement at all around the many flavors of masculinity that float through the book and I felt that most of them were not negative except for the very angry incarnation that surfaced briefly. I felt almost like an intruder into this bastion of testosterone, but not an unwelcome one.
This novel left me contemplating masculinity, sexuality, relationships, and life choices at the end. It's rare for a novel to incorporate so many heavy themes in a positive, natural way. You may not agree with the main character's choices or how he comes into his relationship and sexuality, but you must appreciate how skillfully the author wove together his experiences.
Read it!
~Becky~
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