Bloodline of forbidden love

AN UNUSUAL STORY OF THREE GENERATIONS OF GAY MEN FROM THE SAME FAMILY

- Chintan Girish Modi

Santanu Bhattacharya’s novel Deviants tells an unusual story of three generations of gay men from the same family — Vivaan, his maternal uncle who is introduced to the reader as Mambro, and Mambro’s maternal uncle, Sukumar. Their journeys are remarkably different but the connecting thread is a shared quest for love.

Bhattacharya’s attempt at “tracing a delicate bloodline of forbidden love across three generations, three renegade young men fifty years apart” is praiseworthy for its conceptual clarity and fine execution. These words are uttered by Mambro, who is a bridge between the past and future. He articulates an affirming vision of what kinship can look like when it is not framed through a patriarchal lens that assesses a man’s worth by his ability to produce heirs.

The author has developed a distinct personality and voice for each of his characters. Vivaan is a teenager, about to enter adulthood. He uses apps to meet prospective sexual partners.