Scan barcode
danscoada's review against another edition
emotional
sad
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? Yes
4.0
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC before publication.
Shastri Akella's The Sea Elephants follows a young man named Shagun during his most pivotal development years. We see his rocky relationship with his absent father, grief after his twin sisters tragically pass away, Shagun grappling with his sexuality both mentally and physically, and finding romantic and platonic true love. The novel is set in India in the late 1980s to 1990s, and Akella does a fantastic job of incorporating Indian mythology, culture, and sociopolitical issues into this very personal novel.
What I enjoyed most about The Sea Elephants were the relationships that Shagun found for himself. His fellow actors were entertaining and had Shagun's back no matter the circumstances. Marc, mostly, was a swoon-worthy love interest, and his warmhearted friends adopted Shagun so easily. Typical of Indian culture, Shagun's father tries to arrange for him to marry a young woman. Luckily for both of them, neither actually plan on marrying the other and from there another lovely friendship is made.
Parts of The Sea Elephants, especially in the middle, were a bit of a drag; so much so that I often didn't feel motivated to pick it up. For a novel of this length, it took me longer than usual to read. However, this is not a book intended to be devoured at a rapid pace. It reads best when you take your time and take in the mythical stories and atmosphere.
From what I can find, Akella was born in a small Indian town but eventually immigrated to the United States. The Sea Elephants is not a translated work, but at times it feels as though it is. I particularly had an issue with the characters' dialogue throughout. I either found some conversations to feel not entirely natural or simply just confusing. At one point towards the end I had to reread a conversation three times to decipher who said what and also why - their remarks seemed out of left field. Of course, I may have a different opinion of the final published work, but for now the dialogue was the weak link in an otherwise beautifully written novel.
I believe The Sea Elephants has the makings of becoming an important novel in the LGBTQIA+ literary canon. I haven't heard any buzz surrounding it, and at the time of writing this review it publishes in just over a week. I would confidently give this book my recommendation.
Shastri Akella's The Sea Elephants follows a young man named Shagun during his most pivotal development years. We see his rocky relationship with his absent father, grief after his twin sisters tragically pass away, Shagun grappling with his sexuality both mentally and physically, and finding romantic and platonic true love. The novel is set in India in the late 1980s to 1990s, and Akella does a fantastic job of incorporating Indian mythology, culture, and sociopolitical issues into this very personal novel.
What I enjoyed most about The Sea Elephants were the relationships that Shagun found for himself. His fellow actors were entertaining and had Shagun's back no matter the circumstances. Marc, mostly, was a swoon-worthy love interest, and his warmhearted friends adopted Shagun so easily. Typical of Indian culture, Shagun's father tries to arrange for him to marry a young woman. Luckily for both of them, neither actually plan on marrying the other and from there another lovely friendship is made.
Parts of The Sea Elephants, especially in the middle, were a bit of a drag; so much so that I often didn't feel motivated to pick it up. For a novel of this length, it took me longer than usual to read. However, this is not a book intended to be devoured at a rapid pace. It reads best when you take your time and take in the mythical stories and atmosphere.
From what I can find, Akella was born in a small Indian town but eventually immigrated to the United States. The Sea Elephants is not a translated work, but at times it feels as though it is. I particularly had an issue with the characters' dialogue throughout. I either found some conversations to feel not entirely natural or simply just confusing. At one point towards the end I had to reread a conversation three times to decipher who said what and also why - their remarks seemed out of left field. Of course, I may have a different opinion of the final published work, but for now the dialogue was the weak link in an otherwise beautifully written novel.
I believe The Sea Elephants has the makings of becoming an important novel in the LGBTQIA+ literary canon. I haven't heard any buzz surrounding it, and at the time of writing this review it publishes in just over a week. I would confidently give this book my recommendation.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality, Child death, Homophobia, Grief, Sexual assault, Violence, and Classism
Moderate: Body shaming and Death of parent
Minor: Outing, Fatphobia, Self harm, Rape, and Drug use
More...