'Compulsive and wrenching ... Bhattacharya has written the epic text for the South Asian queer community that the characters in this book long to find' Sarvat Hasin, author of The Giant Dark

'There is an epic confidence to Bhattacharya's writing' Samira Ahmed

'It's magnificent: funny, melancholic, sharply true. The force of it crept up on me in a brilliantly subtle way' James Cahill, author of Tiepolo Blue


FROM THE CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED AUTHOR OF ONE SMALL VOICE: a bold, electrifying story of a family in which three generations of gay men in India fight for love and dignity against the currents of their times

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

About the Author
Santanu Bhattacharya grew up in India, and studied at the University of Oxford and the National University of Singapore. He won the Desmond Elliott Prize Residency in 2023, and the Mo Siewcharran and Life Writing Prizes in 2021. His first novel, One Small Voice, was an Observer best debut novel of 2023, and was shortlisted for the Authors' Club Best First Novel Award and the Society of Authors' Gordon Bowker Volcano Prize. He now lives in London.

Reviews
It's magnificent: funny, melancholic, sharply true. The force of it crept up on me in a brilliantly subtle way * James Cahill, author of Tiepolo Blue *
Deviants is so compulsive and wrenching it made me miss my tube stop more than once. Rarely have I felt so invested in a novel: I carried each strand with me into my life, their joy, grief and hope. The detail and care that goes into these stories makes them burn in you long after the pages are closed. Bhattacharya has written the epic text for the South Asian queer community that the characters in this book long to find * Sarvat Hasin, author of The Giant Dark *
There is an epic confidence to Bhattacharya's writing * Samira Ahmed *
Deviants is a beautifully written and formally inventive multi-generational tale of gay life in one Indian family * Ben Fergusson, author of Tales from the Fatherland *
A fearless portrait of a changing society, bringing hitherto marginalised lives centre stage with great heart and humour ... At times heartrending, but also life-affirming and celebratory * Allan Radcliffe, author of The Old Haunts *
A vibrant, engaging and important novel. Santanu Bhattacharya explores gay love in India across three generations of a family with remarkable elegance and compassion. By turns funny, illuminating and moving, Deviants is a fine achievement * Stephen Buoro, author of The Five Sorrowful Mysteries of Andy Africa *
Deviants is a brilliantly compelling novel. Emotionally powerful and not shy in terms of explicit content, it dives right inside the lives of three generations of queer Indians. Like Mambro, I'm thankful the language now exists to tell their stories and that Bhattacharya is the one admirably wielding the pen * Priscilla Morris, author of Black Butterflies *
Bhattacharya's storytelling talents are limitless * Nikesh Shukla, praise for One Small Voice *
One of the best debuts this year * Guardian, praise for One Small Voice *
Written with verve, intelligence and compassion * Irish Times, praise for One Small Voice *
A joy to read, a full universe of feeling ... A born storyteller * Max Porter, praise for One Small Voice *
Bhattacharya has the enviable ability of creating a cast of characters that feel as real as any person I've met. His effortless writing sings on the page * Kasim Ali, praise for One Small Voice *
Bhattacharya is a vivid and humane storyteller with a talent for encapsulating the social in the personal * Sydney Morning Herald, praise for One Small Voice *
Intoxicating ... Terrific * Daily Mail, praise for One Small Voice *



Book Information
ISBN 9780241707234
Author Santanu Bhattacharya
Format Hardback
Page Count 352
Imprint Fig Tree
Publisher Penguin Books Ltd
Weight(grams) 500g
Dimensions(mm) 222mm * 138mm * 40mm