The Sea Elephants

Book excerpt: Shagun knows he will never be the kind of son his father demands. After the agonizing deaths of his beloved twin sisters, he flees his own guilt, his mother's grief, and his father's violent disapproval by enrolling at an allboys boarding school. He forms tumultuous and eyeopening relationships there, but doesn't find true belonging till he encounters a traveling theater troupe performing the myths of his childhood. Welcomed by other storytellers, Shagun thriveseasily embodying mortals and gods, men and womenand embraces a life on the move, far from his father's clutches. When Shagun meets Marc, a charming photographer, he seems to have found the love he always longed for. But not even Marc can save him from his lingering shame, nor his father's everpresent threat to send him to a conversion center. As Shagun's past begins to engulf him once again, he must decide if he is strong enough to face what he fears most, and to boldly claim his own happiness. Set in 1990s India, The Sea Elephants is an utterly immersive and spellbinding novel, both dark and beautiful, harrowing and triumphant. An ode to the redemptive joys of storytelling, Shastri Akella's soulful debut is a celebration of hardwon loveof others and for ourselves.