Service95 Recommends is the home of the books we love and reviews from our contributors. Half Light by Mahesh Rao is a story of outlawed desire.
What We Say: “Set on the cusp of India’s landmark ruling to decriminalise homosexuality, Mahesh Rao’s Half Light is a tender yet piercing exploration of what it means to live in the shadows of concealment. Through Pavan and Neville – two men whose paths cross at different moments in their lives – Mahesh captures the suffocating weight of secrecy, shame and longing. This isn’t a romance, but a portrait of survival in a world that criminalises your existence. I felt the ache of Pavan and Neville’s lives held back by fear, the enduring desire for connection, and the fragile hope that intimacy can still break through.” – Annie Le Santo
What They Say: “In this remarkable novel, Mahesh Rao gives voice to the forgotten and the ignored, and my lord, what a voice it is. Half Light is steeped to a sublime perfection, an astonishing literary achievement.” – Rabih Alameddine
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Annie Le Santo is Digital Marketing Manager at Service95
