Today’s post is two for the price of one! We were lucky enough, firstly, to read Farhad J. Dadyburjor’s romcom The Other Man early, and also interview the author himself. So, here you can find five reasons you should be reading this book (and you can even start right now! It’s out today! Buy it here) as well as finding out a little more about the mind behind it all. What’s not to love?
A heartwarming and transporting romantic comedy about finding happy ever after on your own terms.
Heir to his father’s Mumbai business empire, Ved Mehra has money, looks, and status. He is also living as a closeted gay man. Thirty-eight, lonely, still reeling from a breakup, and under pressure from his exasperated mother, Ved agrees to an arranged marriage. He regrettably now faces a doomed future with the perfectly lovely Disha Kapoor.
Then Ved’s world is turned upside down when he meets Carlos Silva, an American on a business trip in India.
As preparations for his wedding get into full swing, Ved finds himself drawn into a relationship he could never have imagined―and ready to take a bold step. Ved is ready to embrace who he is and declare his true feelings regardless of family expectations and staunch traditions. But with his engagement party just days away, and with so much at risk, Ved will have to fight for what he wants―if it’s not too late to get it.
The Other Man
Farhad J. Dadyburjor
Rep: Indian cast, gay mc, Brazilian American gay li
Release: 12th October 2021
Five Reasons to Read This Book
One. If you’re looking to read books that aren’t set in the US/UK/Western Europe, then, as hopefully you already know, this book fits just that. It takes place in India, around the time when homosexuality was decriminalised. If you happen to see this review, and you’re craving a book like that, take this as a sign!
Two. The narrative never demonised Ved for not being out, and never judged him for his worries either. It lets Ved get around to things in his own time. But it does also show the hurt that not coming out can cause—I think it balanced this well: the fact that Ved was potentially not in a safe environment, versus the pain it caused Carlos that he was, effectively, lying to everyone (including Carlos himself). There was also the example of Ved’s ex, to further the point.
Three. It’s a book full of heart, but also a fair bit of drama. It’s more of a contemporary with a romantic subplot, but there’s plenty going on to keep your attention. It’s a book about relationships: Ved’s with Carlos, with his parents, with Disha. That’s what’s central to it all, and I really enjoyed that about it.
Four. If you’re looking for books with supportive parents, then this is one for you. For all that Ved worries about coming out, when he does, they’re with him all the way. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of stories where parents are supportive of their children.
Five. It’s one of those books that balances moments of lightheartedness with more serious moments and does it well. It knows when to get serious and when to make you laugh, which makes the whole thing a lot more fun to read.
Let’s start at the beginning. How did you first get into writing?
Growing up, there were always books in my house in Mumbai. My two elder sisters and I had a library that we’d named Dolphin Library that housed Encyclopaedias, Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys and a miscellaneous lot of books and comics. Later, it was James Hadley Chase and Sidney Sheldon. So, reading was an integral part of my growing years since there was no internet or social media at the time. It made me use my imagination to stay occupied.
Later on, I quit my first job in corporate communications simply because I wanted something more ‘creative.’ I didn’t know at the time that it would result in a rich career in journalism; I just wanted to speak not from a company’s standpoint but from the other side. To state the truth, as I saw it. This was also a result of the constant hypocrisy that I saw around me in terms of being gay – besides it having a taboo ring to it, “do what you want but behind closed doors” was the society norm, and that form of double standards never sat well with me. So I entered journalism with the thrill of having a ‘voice,’ and I think that’s something that also excites me when writing a novel.
I have to add here, I’m not the first author in my family. My aunt Freny Olbrich, who went on to settle in Scotland, wrote several renowned Indian detective stories and some non-fiction books too. I remember seeing her interviewed on the local TV channel in Mumbai whilst growing up and being quite fascinated. I think a seed was somewhere planted.
What are your favourite genres to read and write, and are there any genres or tropes you wouldn’t write?
When it comes to reading, the most important thing for me is style – even above plot and characters. If there’s a sentence that’s uniquely framed or a thought that blows my mind, that really gets me. So, I choose my books more from the basis of the author (once I’ve read something by them), rather than genre.
I tend to veer toward contemporary fiction and non-fiction, more so with queer themes, and in fact those books helped me understand myself a whole lot better, even though I may not have completely related to the setting. India had criminalized same-sex relationships until three years ago, and so when I read stories set in New York or London, it was always a very different society setting – one that I hankered for, but was not living (at the time). Reading those books was an escape for me into another world, yet where the characters felt similarly to what I did. It was comforting and depressing at the same time.
The LGBT novels coming out from India at the time were either very serious and educational, or the few fictional ones that were there (by authors like R. Raj Rao) were of a different milieu. I never read anything that I could completely identify with; in which I saw myself. Which is why my first novel, How I Got Lucky, was a coming-of-age, satirical tale of a journalist in the entertainment world – a world that I had seen up close and personal. My new novel, The Other Man, turns out to be likely the first gay romcom set in modern-day Mumbai to be published internationally. Again, its characters and setting are something that I have seen and personally know of. I have to add here: It was important to make this a happy, love-affirming story, since so much of LGBT fiction, especially in the past, has a deep sadness or misery at its heart. It was almost like those novels gave you a lack of hope if you were gay; I wanted this to be just the opposite. A book about the magic of love and how it can change your life. Oh, and in terms of genres I wouldn’t read or write, I’d probably say fantasy. Reality is fantastical enough!
How do you get inspiration for your books and what’s your writing process? At what point do you let other people read your drafts and who are they?
I’m a late riser so I do most of my writing through the night. There’s something magical about writing at 4 a.m. with a cup of coffee. I am inspired by what I see and hear around me, and turning that into something that might interest others too. When I’m feeling low on inspiration, I either read or listen to music to help fill me up. One can spend so many hours on social media and yet learn so little; whereas with a book, half-an-hour is enriching.
I am not an obsessive plotter, like several writers. I have a fair sketch and then I add in the colorings and shades till it grows into a full-fledged artwork. I let it come to me. For The Other Man I was fortunate to have an immensely encouraging agent (Priya Doraswamy of Lotus Lane Literary) who helped me make the book more wholesome and all-rounded through innumerable discussions and emails. This kind of support is extremely important as an author, which I didn’t have with my first book. You need a sounding board sometimes, someone who can look at things from a different perspective. The book then became the best version of itself through more skilful editing by Chris Werner at Lake Union Publishing, who was just the ideal editor for this book. A book is like a film, where there are a host of people behind the scenes who are so crucial to its success. I really wish literary festivals would recognize this and have Best Editor and Best Agent and even Best Cover awards – these are all so crucial to any book receiving its due in the world.
Which three authors would you say influenced your writing the most?
There are a few more than three. My literary pantheon includes Martin Amis, Bret Easton Ellis, J.G. Ballard, Edmund White, Alan Hollinghurst and most recently, Hanya Yanagihara. These are all great stylists of the page, with a thundering force of imagination. I’m drawn to novels that are audacious in theme, that push the envelope, and at the same time are very brilliantly written. In that regard, nothing I think compares to J.G. Ballard’s Crash that was simply outrageous in thought.
And for something that is also very important to us & what we put a lot of emphasis on when blogging. What does ownvoices LGBT representation mean to you?
This is so important. Like I mentioned above, for years I never found books that I could completely relate to. Growing up, there was no internet and no access to any kind of LGBT fiction – it was like it never existed. No one discussed it, rarely mentioned the word ‘gay’ unless in some sordid story in the newspaper, and it was either made fun of or considered taboo. Even later on, bookstores would stock the odd gay novel under Erotica at the far end of the bookstore, somewhere at the back, as if it’s something to be ashamed of. It is so important to read stories from your #own country, about your #own people. I am hoping The Other Man opens the door to a lot more Indian LGBT fiction internationally, whether romcoms, fantasy, westerns, horrors etc. There are so many more fascinating stories to tell, of so many different people and situations. It’s time the world got a chance to listen!
What’s one piece of advice you would like to give your younger self?
Your time will come.
Summarise your most recent/next book in up to 5 words and a meme.
The Crazy Rich Gay Indians.
If (when!) your books were to be made into movies, who would you like to direct them?
Ryan Murphy. He’s our man in Hollywood. He specializes in LGBT-themed stories, whether romcoms or on the fashion world, and has an unflinching gaze. I have loved everything he’s directed!
If you could have dinner with one member of the LGBT community, dead or alive, who would it be?
Tom Ford. Because, who wouldn’t want to have dinner with Tom Ford?!
Which of your characters would you most want to fight a zombie apocalypse with?
Dolly Mehra, the mother of the protagonist in The Other Man. Because she could charm them with her cheese pakoras and delicious Indian food, and then cut their heads off!
Is there a famous franchise or simply a movie/TV show you’d like to be able to write for?
The Sex and The City reboot. How much fun would that be! Though with Samantha gone, that’s a bummer!
Do you have any secret non canon ships in your books you wish people would write fics for?
Nothing that comes to mind.
Rec us some great LGBT books you’ve read recently!
Cleanness by Garth Greenwell and The Sparsholt Affair by Alan Hollinghurst.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Farhad J. Dadyburjor has been an entertainment and lifestyle journalist for over twenty years. Born and based in Mumbai, India, he has held several senior editorial positions, including at DNA newspaper, as launch editor at the international men’s magazine FHM, and currently at The Leela Magazine. His debut novel, ‘How I Got Lucky’ (Penguin Random House), was a satire on India’s celebrity culture and his forthcoming novel ‘The Other Man’ (Lake Union Publishing) is an urban gay romcom set in Mumbai.
Follow on Goodreads | Order The Other Man
One Comment
Pingback: