He agrees to marry Disha, a woman his parents introduce him to. The novel reflects how queer people often have to navigate grief without any emotional support.ĭespite his self-righteousness, Ved ends up doing something quite similar. At this point, Ved’s parents know nothing. They can be friends and continue to have sex. Akshay believes that marriage should not change anything between them. Ved is aghast that Akshay would do this to him. We meet Ved when he is nursing a broken heart after being dumped by Akshay, who has married a woman to keep up the pretence of heterosexuality. There is a lot of mirch-masala in this novel before that happy ending (no pun intended). It is heartwarming to come across parents – in real life, and in fiction – who stand by their children and prioritize their happiness over social image and approval aka log kya kahenge. They are separated but, when it comes to their son’s well-being, they are on one team. The common thread across them is Ved, the scion of a rich business family in Mumbai. The book revolves around a set of interconnected love stories. The author weaves a tale that is believable, compelling, and emotionally alive. Ved Mehra, the 38-year-old gay man, who is the protagonist of his novel, is depicted neither as a sinner nor as a victim. Farhad J Dadyburjor’s novel The Other Man works for me because it does all of this and quite well. I have a soft corner for novels where queer characters are not condemned to persecution, where they get to experience joy and love alongside fear and despair, where their whole being is not reduced to their sexual orientation or gender identity.