Scan barcode
lilia123's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
nuhafariha's review against another edition
4.0
The delicacy of this work, the way it's neither fact nor fiction, neither memoir nor historical retelling is its strength and weakness. The reader finds themselves slipping through the mortal and immortal world until one starts representing the others and the boundaries of definition are pushed to their extreme. At the same time, the reader longs for some semblance of structure.
keetham's review against another edition
5.0
Beautiful, short and cryptic. Written like a classic queer zine but with more research. I loved the juxtaposition between the mythic and the very real.
sapphisms's review against another edition
3.0
rep: queer indian protagonist
i just wasn't very impressed. the story is a dual narrative bridging hindu stories to the lived experience of a queer man living through his coming-to acceptance as someone that loves men and women. the ending of both stories just never merges satisfactorily- you're left thinking there is going to be another chapter because, really, it just drops off. i usually enjoy stories where the main character simply gazes into themselves and learns more about themselves, but this book just meanders until it ends, nothing gained nothing lost, while throwing in a very strange message of what a 'good queer person' is. the main character is of course presented as good, but all other gay people are shown to be judgmental and/or stereotypical, hating his relationship with his girlfriend. bisexuality is just thrown out entirely as a possibility, where it's stated 'the bi highway leads to gay town' or something like that early on, and the MC settles on the queer label. i'm not saying that a single piece of queer lit needs to represent the full spectrum of queer experience, but i wasn't comfortable with how the gay and bisexual characters were treated, particularly when gay people are compared to homophobic straight people
i just wasn't very impressed. the story is a dual narrative bridging hindu stories to the lived experience of a queer man living through his coming-to acceptance as someone that loves men and women. the ending of both stories just never merges satisfactorily- you're left thinking there is going to be another chapter because, really, it just drops off. i usually enjoy stories where the main character simply gazes into themselves and learns more about themselves, but this book just meanders until it ends, nothing gained nothing lost, while throwing in a very strange message of what a 'good queer person' is. the main character is of course presented as good, but all other gay people are shown to be judgmental and/or stereotypical, hating his relationship with his girlfriend. bisexuality is just thrown out entirely as a possibility, where it's stated 'the bi highway leads to gay town' or something like that early on, and the MC settles on the queer label. i'm not saying that a single piece of queer lit needs to represent the full spectrum of queer experience, but i wasn't comfortable with how the gay and bisexual characters were treated, particularly when gay people are compared to homophobic straight people
richelleski's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Biphobia
kaileehaong's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was a very cool reimagining/retelling of Hindu mythology intertwined with the story of a boy’s journey toward self discovery and queer identity in Canada. Chapters flit from the POV of deities back and forth with the human protagonist. The writing was radiant, explorative, and honest.