Half Light, (Paperback)

<b>An affair between 2 men in India changes the course of both their lives forever in this searing queer love story about shame, hope, and identity. </b><p><b>"Rao sheds light without judgement...Thoughtful, tender storytelling at its finest." --<i>Marie Claire</i></b> </p><p>High up in the misty mountains of Darjeeling, a landslide cuts off a crumbling hillside hotel from the outside world. Trapped together with other guests and staff, 2 men begin to exchange lingering glances. For Neville, a charismatic student, such encounters are nothing new--urgent kisses in stairwells, fleeting encounters in parked cars. But for Pavan, a shy hotel employee accustomed to hiding in plain sight, their growing connection threatens to upend the careful life he has built in secrecy. </p><p>Years later, the men meet again by chance, this time surrounded by the towering skyscrapers and ghostly smog of Mumbai. Neville is now a restless graduate, trying to find his footing in the city. Pavan has long since fled the hills and begun a new life for himself working in a luxurious city hotel. As their renewed flirtation quickly turns fraught, long-buried secrets from their shared past threaten to tumble into the light. </p><p>Set on the cusp of India's landmark ruling to decriminalize homosexuality, <i>Half Light</i> is an atmospheric, elegantly wry story of outlawed desire and the fragile hope for a life beyond concealment. From literary powerhouse Mahesh Rao, this tender exploration of the struggle for acceptance and understanding will appeal to readers of Douglas Stuart and Tom Crewe.</p>

• Half Light, (Paperback)
• Author: Mahesh Rao
• ISBN: 9781805337904
• Format: Paperback
• Publication Date: 2026-09-15
• Page Count: 288