An intense read, the book follows Shagun, a young queer man growing up in India. He is in many ways a traditional Indian son but his queerness has made him an obvious outcast. Eventually, he has to leave his life at home under duress, first at boarding school, then in a traveling theatre troupe where he truly thrives. The complexity of the plot derives from the many traumas that Shagun carries. I counted eight major traumas the author introduces for Shagun, which may seem ridiculous to some, but I believe some lives are sadly afflicted in this way. Shagun has some strengths which allow him to battle these traumas like a true coming-of-age protagonist. He has a complex and loving relationship with his mother, a soulmate in Marc, an ability to make true and protective friendships, an amazing ability to embody characters that gets him out of tight spots, and perhaps most importantly, he is determined to carve a space for himself in his world. This is a story you read to be moved and learn. In my reading, both were accomplished.

I would also recommend reading the physical copy (if you can) instead of the audiobook unless you have an unbelievable attention span. Many myths are discussed and even though I am familiar with the Hindu religion I feel I may have missed some of the tie-ins to the plot listening to the audiobook. Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan for the audiobook advanced copy.

This book is billed as a coming of age story for Shagun who is able to explore his queerness in a safe environment in an acting troupe. That is what the book is billed at and it is a total lie. This book is written a torture porn in the same vein as 12 Years a Slave.

Shagun is raped, tortured, hunted, beaten throughout the entirety of the book. His violent father forces him to flee to a boarding school after Shagun is involved in the drownings of his two sisters. Literally the first day of school, Shagun is raped and beaten, which will continue for the rest of the time at that school. He will run away from the school when his father hires the owner of a conversion therapy camp to kidnap Shagun. When he does briefly join the theater troupe, he meets Marc, a white Jewish man seems kind at first, but then also turns out to be angry and violent when the sexual aspects of their relationship don't live up to his expectations. Then they get hunted down by the conversion therapy men and he is again tortured and imprisoned until the penultimate chapter.

On top of all of this trauma happening to Shagun, he is written to be pining for the acceptance and love of those hurting him the most, from his awful father, to his first rapist, to Marc, to even one of his guards at the conversion therapy camp.

There is no joy, there is no coming of age, there is no point at which Shagun is actually given the opportunity to have a flourishing of life. Even the middle section when Shagun is teaching a theater class, when he leans too much into his queerness, the safety of the troupe is stripped from him when the troupe leader kicks him out.

Coming from a Desi perspective, it is clear this was not written for us. It was written with a White gaze in mind, from the ridiculous flowery language of the smells and taste of India to the white savior, to the torture porn and all Indian people being showing in such an evil light.

This is NOT an #OurVoices book because those are supposed to be created not with an observer's gaze, but with the cultural nuance from being an active member of that culture, and this doesn't fit that because while the author, Shastri Akella, may be from the culture, this book was written from an outsider's gaze for outsiders.

If you’re a fan of Young Mungo and The Heart’s Invisible Furies, read this book!

This book was so human in the sense that events and behaviors didn’t match the usual formula of a story. The author portrays Shagun’s thoughts with such relatable self-awareness, you can’t help but feel what he feels. Like in Young Mungo, Shagun has to navigate his way through life as a gay boy in an environment that isn’t accepting.

I liked how the book had unpredictable coincidences in them, like in The Heart’s Invisible Furies. This is also a story of found family and making choices that make you happy. I especially enjoyed learning about Hindu & Jewish culture in India, and Hindu myths and storytelling.

For all you readers with brief attention spans, fair warning that this book is long and there are lulls in the story where life and conversation are just happening. I think it adds to the charm of the book, but I can see how it isn’t for everyone.

Overall, this book is beautiful! Go read it.

Check TWs before reading, because there's some heavy stuff in it.

The narrator was perfect for this book.

Thank you NetGalley & @Macmillan.Audio for the ALC. A special thank you to Shastri Akella! All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advance copy/audio of the book.

I don't think I have enough words to describe this book. It was so beautiful, exactly as I anticipated it to be. The narration was equally enticing. The story was filled with fantastic Hindu myths, the Indian culture, and at the core was the story of Shagun, the protagonist. This story revolved around Shagun growing up gay in India in the 90s, when being homosexual was punishable under the law. I was heartbroken listening to his struggles, the bullying, the assaults, the constant anxiety he was in. I can't even imagine how hard it must be ( and unfortunately, it still is to a lesser extent), to be gay , and to just live like you desire. What I truly enjoyed was the come backs Shagun had for all the people who tried to bring him down. If I had to name one character who went through adversities, but was still dignified, strong, and brave ,I would say his name. Not everyone has the courage to stay true to their identity in the face of all the trauma.

For anyone not aware of the Indian (especially Hindu) culture, the book might be confusing due to repeated use of Hindi words. Multiple references from the Hindu epic, The Mahabharat, and characters from Indian mythology were made. It was so much fun listening to these tales and I admit that I had not heard so many of these growing up. To escape his past and guilt, Shagun becomes a part of the street theatre troop, and this is when the tales come to life. I encourage people to listen to this on Audible when it becomes available. If you like to be immersed in a story, especially stories of different cultures, this book is definitely worth a read.

Please be mindful that this book is set in the 1990s, and so the words used to describe gay men were very offensive, and so were some of the rituals described. Some societies tend to interpret religious texts for their own benefits, to propogate their ideology, which often ends up discriminating certain groups, and how Shagun was treated by some people, is a reflection of those outdated, orthodox thi nking, and not the actual Hindu religion. Overall, such an amazing coming-of-age story and I absolutely love how Shagun's character was written.

There's so much that happens that it's hard for me to even describe. If you're looking for a lighthearted coming-of-age, this isn't the book for you. The Sea Elephants is, at times, incredibly difficult to read. Shagun's story is propelled by his grief and guilt after the deaths of his twin sisters. His relationship with his remaining family is strained, made even more difficult as Shagun struggles with his sexuality.

3.5/5

Thank you Netgalley for providing a digital ARC.

I found the beginning of this book a bit dry and hard to get into, at least as an audiobook version, but I am so glad I stayed. I ended up really enjoying this book.

The Indian culture represented in this book being so different from my nonexistent culture really drew me in. I loved learning about the stories and food and even clothing. The real showstopper was the actual story though. The story had me so concerned and sad and, at other times, cheated- it felt like it was never going to end and honestly I didn't want it to. I don't want to give anything away at all, not even a brief synopsis. I think this queer story of Indian culture and acceptance will speak for itself.

If you love queer literature or diverse reads this book is an amazing experience, however, there are some traumatic scenes so look up trigger warnings.

A heartbreaking story of a boy growing up gay in India in the '90's, and the humiliation and atrocities he had to suffer. Shagun grew up with twin sisters who tragically drowned when they were fourteen. He witnessed their drowning and blamed himself for their deaths. As if that wasn't enough guilt to bear, his father, who worked away from home, most of their lives growing up, sensed that he was gay and shamed him for it.
Shagun wanted to get away from home and especially his father and applied to go to a secondary boarding school without his parents knowledge. Since he was a good student, he received a full scholarship. Boarding school is when the torment and torture began, he was bullied and sexually abused. To run away from school and just before graduating he runs away again to join a traveling theater troupe performing stories of Hindu religious myths. He flourishes, making friends with his fellow actors and falls in love with Marc, a Judo-Malayalam from America. Due to the scars of his childhood and the guilt of all things he has to bear, his inhibitions prevent him from opening up in the relationship. His trials and tribulations do not end. After his father's passing, he longs to see the prison his father has helped construct and inadvertently finds himself locked up in a facility that uses conversion therapy on gay men.
The story ends well for Shagun and Marc. He makes many loyal and loving friends, who support him and buoy him on.
This is a profoundly sad and wonderful story of heartache and redemption. Shastri has a superb way of capturing his audience. I highly recommend this book.

Check the content warnings on this book there are quite a few.

In general this book told a good story. Even though the complex topics were handled with mixed success, the ending gave the readers a reward for sticking with it.

Shagun leaves his family to go to an all-boy boarding school and later a theater troupe in the hopes of escaping his crushing family expectations and his own guilt.

It is a very heavy story that can be graphic at times.

Listened to the audiobook version - the tone and pacing were just right for this book.

ARC provided by NetGalley

A beautiful debut about a young gay man in 1990s India. While the narrator’s voice was ultimately a good fit for this story and character, it did take me some time to get into the story and keep with it. I might have been more successful in reading this instead. Regardless, a moving story and an enjoyable audiobook.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ALC.

I really wanted to like this book, after all what’s not to like about a forbidden gay love story set in India in times where homosexuality was a criminal offense. Ultimately I found the book and the main character Shagun annoying. The style of writing is fine, but I kept finding words and expressions like “hookup” “pro tip” and “you do you” and many others that wouldn’t be used in the 90s and for whatever reason this irritated me so much I wanted to dnf this book. “Lessons in Chemistry '' all over again, placing a story in a certain period and not paying any attention to the period. This is a massive pet peeve of mine.

In terms of the story itself, I understand what the author was trying to do and maybe there could have been a better book here, but it just didn’t work for me. I had three paragraphs listing all the things that irked me, but I hate posting bad reviews especially about debut novels. Let’s just say that comparing this book to the mastery of “Shuggie Bain” or “The God of Small Things” is ridiculous.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

35%
I stuck with this book for as long as I could. Nothing captured my attention. I kept hoping for something to make me care but I couldn’t. Things were happening but I wasn’t connected to the narrative at all.

This book was beautifully written and expertly narrated. I enjoyed getting a peek into the cultures, foods, traditions, and folklore of Shagun, and he has a compelling story. I think my struggle was following along part of the time, and to be honest....I'm still not sure about the man breasts and their significance unless it's just an insecurity that the main character had? Either way, a powerful debut and a lovely story.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan audio for the free ALC in exchange for honest review. I really enjoyed this coming of age book set in 1990s. Thw story moved along at a great pace customers super interesting and the cover ia my FAVORITE of 2023. The narration, pitch and speed was ABSOLUTE perfection. Will be thinking of this one for a bit...

So this wasn't my cup of tea, but I'm still so thankful to Macmillan Audio, Shastri Akella, and NetGalley for granting me advanced audiobook access to this bittersweet gem of a family drama. The Sea Elephants is set to hit shelves on July 11, 2023, and I'm so excited for all that is to come leading up to that day.