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The Two Krishnas: A Novel
In the tradition of A Fine Balance and The Namesake , The Two Krishna is a sensual and searing look at infidelity and the nature of desire and faith. At the center of the novel is Pooja Kapoor, a betrayed wife and mother who is forced to question her faith and marriage when she discovers that her banker husband Rahul has fallen in love with a young Muslim illegal immigrant man who happens to be their son’s age. Faced with the potential of losing faith in Rahul, divine intervention and family, she is forced to confront painful truths about the past and the duality in God and husband. The Two Krishnas draws inspiration from archetypal Hindu mythology and romantic Sufi poetry, evoking unforgettable characters to explore how, with a new world come new freedoms, and with them, the choices that could change everything we know about those we thought we knew � including ourselves. “Shiraz immerses us in his gripping narrativeas hedelvesinto the nooks and crannies of human desire and explores bothits splendor and the havoc it can wreak. A formidably intelligent and adept writer,he has stretchedmy understanding of a world Iknow very little aboutwith this touching and masterfully writtennovel.”—Bapsi Sidhwa, author of Cracking India " The Two Krishnas is a powerful, sure footed novel of love, longing and loss that richly portrays life like no other work of fiction I've read. With his complex cast of characters and poetically drawn landscapes, Dhalla's talent shines and he shows us he's wise beyond his years.”—Mark Jude Poirier, author of Goats ADVANCE PRAISE FOR THE TWO KRISHNAS “In The Two Krishnas , a novel filled with unexpected turns and beauty, Ghalib Shiraz Dhalla has examined with perceptive compassion the complex and heart-wrenching ties that bind families and the secret desires that pull them apart.”—Chitra Divakaruni, bestselling author of The Palace of Illusions “Shiraz immerses us in his gripping narrativeas hedelvesinto the nooks and crannies of human desire and explores bothits splendor and the havoc it can wreak. A formidably intelligent and adept writer,he has stretchedmy understanding of a world Iknow very little aboutwith this touching and masterfully writtennovel.”—Bapsi Sidhwa, author of New York Times Notable Novel Cracking India "Ghalib Shiraz Dhalla writes with a voice that is both agile and compassionate. He renders scenes of great emotion with equal parts passion and precision. At it's core, The Two Krishnas is a classic tale of tragic, forbidden love, but Dhalla infuses it with an astute discussion of Hindu culture that should appeal to a broad cross-section of readers.”—Christopher Rice, New York Times bestselling author of A Density of Souls and Blind Fall " The Two Krishnas is a powerful, sure footed novel of love, longing and loss that richly portrays life like no other work of fiction I've read. With his complex cast of characters and poetically drawn landscapes, Dhalla's talent shines and he shows us he's wise beyond
his years.”—Mark Jude Poirier, author of Goats and Modern Ranch Living
his years.”—Mark Jude Poirier, author of Goats and Modern Ranch Living
325 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
11 people are currently reading
272 people want to read
About the author
Ghalib Shiraz Dhalla
5books18followersLos Angeles-based writer Ghalib Shiraz Dhalla was born in Kenya, where, at 13 years old, he published his first article in the national magazine VIVA.
His critically-acclaimed debut novel, "Ode to Lata", was hailed by the LA Times as "an accomplishment" and The Library Journal as "brilliant." An excerpt premiered in the anthology, Contours of the Heart (Rutgers), and went on to win the 18th Annual American Book Award. The novel created milestones as the first South Asian gay novel ever to be reviewed by the LA Times Book Review and to be excerpted by LGBT landmark magazine, Genre. It was also the first account of the South Asian gay experience from an author from the African continent.
Dhalla went on to adapt, produce and co-direct the novel into the feature film, "The Ode" which premiered at the Outfest Film Festival (2008). It was called "a beautiful portrait of the American experience for many first and second-generation Indian-Americans" (CineQueer 7/18/08) and a film with performances that are "memorable" and filled with "cinematic intensity" (Planet Homo 7/19/08). The UCLA Asia Institute praised it as a film that inspired "after-film contemplation" and boasting performances that are "noteworthy" (Asia Pacific Arts 8/8/08).
A passionate activist, Dhalla co-founded the South Asian program for the Asian Pacific AIDS Intervention Team (APAIT) which provides prevention, health and social services, community leadership and advocacy to over 10,000 individuals in Southern California. He is also one of the founding members of SATRANG, a support group for LGBT and questioning South Asians in Los Angeles.
In June 2007, Dhalla was listed as one of the Top 21 Tastemakers and "Most Important Movers and Shakers" in America (Genre Magazine). In August 2007, Dhalla was listed as one of the "Top 25 People Who Make Us Melt - Angelenos Who Redefine What's Hot" (Frontiers Magazine).
On August 29th, 2009 Dhalla was showcased at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York with the headlining event, "An Evening with Ghalib Shiraz Dhalla."
His follow-up novel, "The Two Krishnas" garnered raves from peers, Lisa See, Chitra Divakaruni and his inspiration, Andrew Holleran and was published as "The Exiles" in India where it went on to become a bestseller.
He is currently developing "Embrace", a feature film based on love stories impacted by actual terror events from around the world. His short, upon which the feature is based, premiered at New York's prestigious IAAC film festival and was praised by the Huffington Post as a film that "captures the raw intensity of two ordinary people...A fascinating glimpse of humanity in crisis. The film delivers a message of the defeat of evil and triumph over adversity."
You stay in touch with Ghalib on twitter (@gshiraz) and facebook ()
His critically-acclaimed debut novel, "Ode to Lata", was hailed by the LA Times as "an accomplishment" and The Library Journal as "brilliant." An excerpt premiered in the anthology, Contours of the Heart (Rutgers), and went on to win the 18th Annual American Book Award. The novel created milestones as the first South Asian gay novel ever to be reviewed by the LA Times Book Review and to be excerpted by LGBT landmark magazine, Genre. It was also the first account of the South Asian gay experience from an author from the African continent.
Dhalla went on to adapt, produce and co-direct the novel into the feature film, "The Ode" which premiered at the Outfest Film Festival (2008). It was called "a beautiful portrait of the American experience for many first and second-generation Indian-Americans" (CineQueer 7/18/08) and a film with performances that are "memorable" and filled with "cinematic intensity" (Planet Homo 7/19/08). The UCLA Asia Institute praised it as a film that inspired "after-film contemplation" and boasting performances that are "noteworthy" (Asia Pacific Arts 8/8/08).
A passionate activist, Dhalla co-founded the South Asian program for the Asian Pacific AIDS Intervention Team (APAIT) which provides prevention, health and social services, community leadership and advocacy to over 10,000 individuals in Southern California. He is also one of the founding members of SATRANG, a support group for LGBT and questioning South Asians in Los Angeles.
In June 2007, Dhalla was listed as one of the Top 21 Tastemakers and "Most Important Movers and Shakers" in America (Genre Magazine). In August 2007, Dhalla was listed as one of the "Top 25 People Who Make Us Melt - Angelenos Who Redefine What's Hot" (Frontiers Magazine).
On August 29th, 2009 Dhalla was showcased at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York with the headlining event, "An Evening with Ghalib Shiraz Dhalla."
His follow-up novel, "The Two Krishnas" garnered raves from peers, Lisa See, Chitra Divakaruni and his inspiration, Andrew Holleran and was published as "The Exiles" in India where it went on to become a bestseller.
He is currently developing "Embrace", a feature film based on love stories impacted by actual terror events from around the world. His short, upon which the feature is based, premiered at New York's prestigious IAAC film festival and was praised by the Huffington Post as a film that "captures the raw intensity of two ordinary people...A fascinating glimpse of humanity in crisis. The film delivers a message of the defeat of evil and triumph over adversity."
You stay in touch with Ghalib on twitter (@gshiraz) and facebook ()
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
August 27, 2020
Did I read the same book as the other reviewers? There's all this talk of love and beauty in other reviews.
The book I read was the classic "gay is evil, and will only lead to tragedy" story. The first guy that Rahul has sex with is soon lost due to a tragedy that so commonly happens to persons who are "different."
Rahul too must pay for his "sin." While he is away from his family a horrible tragedy happens to the family. The reader is then led to believe that for the next 20 years Rahul has been scared straight and has not even looked at another man.
Then he meets a man and they instantly sense the chemistry between them. They have lots of fun together. But remember! To be gay is to bring the wrath of the universe down upon you. You have been warned before.
Once again he is away from his family when a horrible tragedy happens to his family. A horrible price to pay for someone who just wants to love another man.
Why is it that the tragedies always occur when Rahul is not around? If he is the one that the universe frowns upon, why do others become the victims?
The book I read was the classic "gay is evil, and will only lead to tragedy" story. The first guy that Rahul has sex with is soon lost due to a tragedy that so commonly happens to persons who are "different."
Rahul too must pay for his "sin." While he is away from his family a horrible tragedy happens to the family. The reader is then led to believe that for the next 20 years Rahul has been scared straight and has not even looked at another man.
Then he meets a man and they instantly sense the chemistry between them. They have lots of fun together. But remember! To be gay is to bring the wrath of the universe down upon you. You have been warned before.
Once again he is away from his family when a horrible tragedy happens to his family. A horrible price to pay for someone who just wants to love another man.
Why is it that the tragedies always occur when Rahul is not around? If he is the one that the universe frowns upon, why do others become the victims?
February 17, 2017
I’ll be frank and tell you guys that I was quite apprehensive about picking up this book. It is mainly because I have very little experience with LGBT literature. Oh of course I have read fiction novels where a supporting character was Gay or Lesbian, but never the protagonist. But so far my short experience in book blogging community has taught me to pick up new things with an open mind so as to enjoy and explore wider genres. So I agreed and man, am I glad now that I picked this one up!
The story explores mainly the life and journey of its protagonists � Pooja, Rahul and Atif. Rahul and Pooja hail from Kenya and they have a certain shared past before settling in L.A. The story begins at a point where Rahul is a well settled banker, Pooja is a homemaker managing her catering business from her own kitchen and Ajay is a typical teenager who is into gym and clubbing. While the disappearing sizzle of Rahul and Pooja’s marital life has left Pooja a bit confused and lonely, Rahul on the other hand finds solace in Atif, an immigrant from Mumbai.
Unlike my usual taste for exploring the characters of a story first, I would like to talk about the plot first. This is undoubtedly one of the best plotline that I have come across in recent times. Don’t get me wrong, it is not as complex as Da Vinci Code or as action packed as Bourne series or as mysterious as Sherlock Holmes novels. It is pretty simple and straightforward. But the different aspects of a common people’s lives covered that gives this novel an exotic feel. For instance, a person struggling to find their true identity, or a person finally embracing his own sexuality, or a person’s individual take on religion� The author managed to capture the different cultures and interlink them. The love scenes do not include any vulgarity but pure love and passion pours out of those pages. Human nature and raw emotions have been captured in a beautiful manner. There’s a hint of everything in this page turner � drama, romance, deception and honesty.
Now, a plot like that needs strong characters that can do justice to it. And indeed, our protagonists play their roles to perfection. While Rahul plays the most dominant role and is the link to Pooja, and Atif, these other two people play as important an important role too. Rahul’s past shaped him up and Pooja has been a true companion to him, but its Atif’s influence that finally brought Rahul’s character to its epitome. Atif’s brings in with him his own experiences, his status of an illegal immigrant and his involvement with Rahul takes him to a place where as a reader I was on a roller coaster ride. At the same time, Pooja by no fault of her own, is lonely and her life is difficult on a totally different level. Then there is Greg � whose religious beliefs seem to be distancing him from his family. There’s also Pooja’s gossipy neighbor Sonali and a few other minor characters. Each true to life and easy to relate to.
Everything is brought together with great attention to detail and careful prose in order to make this book what it is � A Must Read!
The story explores mainly the life and journey of its protagonists � Pooja, Rahul and Atif. Rahul and Pooja hail from Kenya and they have a certain shared past before settling in L.A. The story begins at a point where Rahul is a well settled banker, Pooja is a homemaker managing her catering business from her own kitchen and Ajay is a typical teenager who is into gym and clubbing. While the disappearing sizzle of Rahul and Pooja’s marital life has left Pooja a bit confused and lonely, Rahul on the other hand finds solace in Atif, an immigrant from Mumbai.
Unlike my usual taste for exploring the characters of a story first, I would like to talk about the plot first. This is undoubtedly one of the best plotline that I have come across in recent times. Don’t get me wrong, it is not as complex as Da Vinci Code or as action packed as Bourne series or as mysterious as Sherlock Holmes novels. It is pretty simple and straightforward. But the different aspects of a common people’s lives covered that gives this novel an exotic feel. For instance, a person struggling to find their true identity, or a person finally embracing his own sexuality, or a person’s individual take on religion� The author managed to capture the different cultures and interlink them. The love scenes do not include any vulgarity but pure love and passion pours out of those pages. Human nature and raw emotions have been captured in a beautiful manner. There’s a hint of everything in this page turner � drama, romance, deception and honesty.
Now, a plot like that needs strong characters that can do justice to it. And indeed, our protagonists play their roles to perfection. While Rahul plays the most dominant role and is the link to Pooja, and Atif, these other two people play as important an important role too. Rahul’s past shaped him up and Pooja has been a true companion to him, but its Atif’s influence that finally brought Rahul’s character to its epitome. Atif’s brings in with him his own experiences, his status of an illegal immigrant and his involvement with Rahul takes him to a place where as a reader I was on a roller coaster ride. At the same time, Pooja by no fault of her own, is lonely and her life is difficult on a totally different level. Then there is Greg � whose religious beliefs seem to be distancing him from his family. There’s also Pooja’s gossipy neighbor Sonali and a few other minor characters. Each true to life and easy to relate to.
Everything is brought together with great attention to detail and careful prose in order to make this book what it is � A Must Read!
Read
December 19, 2012“Grappling with the infidelity of your spouse is painful enough. Making it harder for Pooja Kapoor, a successful caterer, is the fact that Rahul, a high-flying banker, has given his heart to a young Muslim man, Atif. This forces the entire family, including their son Ajay, to recalibrate their definitions of right, wrong, morality, acceptability, sin and redemption. An intriguing premise by author-columnist-filmmaker Ghalib Shiraz Dhalla made even more magnetic by his lyrical prose inspired by Sufi poetry, Hindu culture and mythology. Indeed, The Two Krishnas (The Exiles) is the kind of book you engage with on so many levels � the plot itself, with its arresting characters; the deeper questions it throws up about our fragile truths, sexual politics and gender orientation; and most of all, the remarkable telling of it all. Sensitive, searing, sensual and always compassionate, Dhalla transports us to the crossroads of faith and fealty, duty and desire � and then shows us the way home, to the heart.�
� Harmony India.
"World clash and lives are destroyed...It's pretty sad that women being married to gay men and then feeling undesired and unloved is as universal a theme as the resultant destructive infidelity...Ghalib peppers his story with full-on drama and describes both the city of Los Angeles and the lives of its desi immigrants extremely evocatively."
- Verve Magazine.
"Another masterfully written novel by the brilliant young writer Ghalib Shiraz Dhalla, an accomplished filmmaker and author of the critically-acclaimed novel, Ode to Lata. This fiction novel is simply wonderful...A powerful and interesting novel."
- Sahara Time (New Delhi)
"A book about love coming out of the closet, and since it is not exactly between man and wife, there is inevitable trauma in the family...Dhalla has detailed all this with fascinating humanity and compassion and we find ourselves immersed in the story without having to cope with our own conservative heterosexual reservations that the subject normally, and unfortunately, evokes."
- Afternoon Despatch & Courier (India)
� Harmony India.
"World clash and lives are destroyed...It's pretty sad that women being married to gay men and then feeling undesired and unloved is as universal a theme as the resultant destructive infidelity...Ghalib peppers his story with full-on drama and describes both the city of Los Angeles and the lives of its desi immigrants extremely evocatively."
- Verve Magazine.
"Another masterfully written novel by the brilliant young writer Ghalib Shiraz Dhalla, an accomplished filmmaker and author of the critically-acclaimed novel, Ode to Lata. This fiction novel is simply wonderful...A powerful and interesting novel."
- Sahara Time (New Delhi)
"A book about love coming out of the closet, and since it is not exactly between man and wife, there is inevitable trauma in the family...Dhalla has detailed all this with fascinating humanity and compassion and we find ourselves immersed in the story without having to cope with our own conservative heterosexual reservations that the subject normally, and unfortunately, evokes."
- Afternoon Despatch & Courier (India)
March 11, 2015
It was nauseating. I had to abandon it after barely 25 pages. [It's not that I am a prude or am a homophobe, just that the descriptions and acts were unwarranted]
September 16, 2011
A Searingly Powerful Novel
Ghalib Shiraz Dhalla houses magic in his eyes, or in his hands or in his brain. This young writer, born in Mombasa, Kenya, understands his Indian culture and how to imbue the scents and flavors and passions and traditions of that culture into a contemporary novel that not only brings the reader to the appreciation of all that, but also tackles universal issues such as the cauterizing brand of familial roots, the many forms of love, infidelity, dysfunctional father/son relationships, aspects of Hindu and Muslim beliefs, and the cycle of life - and of death. He writes with such fluid prose that each page approaches a lapse into poetry. Not only is his story one which defies the reader to pause before the complex story plays out, but it also informs us of the myriad aspects of immigration and the sense of being dispossessed. In short this is a compelling novel that not only grows into our psyche but also quietly changes the way we perceive the injustices around us.
Rahul and Pooja Kapoor fled their home in Kenya (there is a separate section in the book that explains their extirpation) and settled in Los Angeles where they had a son Ajay and Rahul became a banker. Pooja happily accepted her role as wife and mother and in reproducing the culinary finery of Indian cuisine both at home and for a restaurant/shop, The Banyan. run by her dear friend Charlie and his runner Greg who prefers to be called Parmesh due his desire to be of Indian rather than Jewish heritage. The story begins some years after their arrival when Ajay has become a healthy hunk of a lad looking for a college. Rahul has grown distant - his relationship with Ajay borders on formal and his attention to his beautiful wife's needs has waned. Pooja yearns for the sensuality of the early days of their marriage but finds solace in looking after her handsome son, her cooking, and her friend Sonali - a flamboyant neighbor friend who loves to gossip. Rahul is an atheist and has divorced himself from his past. He bears a strange inner longing that surfaces in a bookstore when he makes eye contact with a handsome storekeeper Atif, a Muslim from Mumbai who seems comfortable with his life: Atif is the age of Rahul's son Ajay. The look is returned and shortly the two men discover their sensual feelings and begin an affair. Rahul attempts to keep both sides of his emotional life alive - he is still devoted to Pooja and Ajay but for the first time since a tragic childhood experience he is in touch with his sexuality. Pooja notes the growing distance between them but it is not until Sonali spies on Rahul and Atif in embrace that Pooja must face the fact that her husband has found love with a man. The manner in which Pooja and Rahul cope with the change winds into an ending that is profoundly surprising.
One of the many gifts of Dhalla is his comfortable manipulation of Hindu words and customs and aromas and traditions: he weaves a multifaceted mandala that teaches the readers so much about Indian culture. He also surveys many of the beliefs and myths of Hinduism that offer explanations of human behavior, including sexuality, that is very well considered and informative. His dialogue is peppered with influences from Muslim thought (from Atif) and Hindu thought (from Pooja): it is also smoothly sophisticated in construction in a way that makes his very sensual love scenes excitingly poetic and credible. There is so much in this novel to mesmerize the reader that words in a review falter in attempting to express the impact of this fine novel. Rarely has a love story in all its facets and permutations been so consistently effective and affecting. Ghalib Shiraz Dhalla is an inordinately gifted writer - one of our best. His gift is extravagant but it is also keenly honed in subtlety. We should be hearing a lot more about him in the coming months and years.
Grady Harp
Ghalib Shiraz Dhalla houses magic in his eyes, or in his hands or in his brain. This young writer, born in Mombasa, Kenya, understands his Indian culture and how to imbue the scents and flavors and passions and traditions of that culture into a contemporary novel that not only brings the reader to the appreciation of all that, but also tackles universal issues such as the cauterizing brand of familial roots, the many forms of love, infidelity, dysfunctional father/son relationships, aspects of Hindu and Muslim beliefs, and the cycle of life - and of death. He writes with such fluid prose that each page approaches a lapse into poetry. Not only is his story one which defies the reader to pause before the complex story plays out, but it also informs us of the myriad aspects of immigration and the sense of being dispossessed. In short this is a compelling novel that not only grows into our psyche but also quietly changes the way we perceive the injustices around us.
Rahul and Pooja Kapoor fled their home in Kenya (there is a separate section in the book that explains their extirpation) and settled in Los Angeles where they had a son Ajay and Rahul became a banker. Pooja happily accepted her role as wife and mother and in reproducing the culinary finery of Indian cuisine both at home and for a restaurant/shop, The Banyan. run by her dear friend Charlie and his runner Greg who prefers to be called Parmesh due his desire to be of Indian rather than Jewish heritage. The story begins some years after their arrival when Ajay has become a healthy hunk of a lad looking for a college. Rahul has grown distant - his relationship with Ajay borders on formal and his attention to his beautiful wife's needs has waned. Pooja yearns for the sensuality of the early days of their marriage but finds solace in looking after her handsome son, her cooking, and her friend Sonali - a flamboyant neighbor friend who loves to gossip. Rahul is an atheist and has divorced himself from his past. He bears a strange inner longing that surfaces in a bookstore when he makes eye contact with a handsome storekeeper Atif, a Muslim from Mumbai who seems comfortable with his life: Atif is the age of Rahul's son Ajay. The look is returned and shortly the two men discover their sensual feelings and begin an affair. Rahul attempts to keep both sides of his emotional life alive - he is still devoted to Pooja and Ajay but for the first time since a tragic childhood experience he is in touch with his sexuality. Pooja notes the growing distance between them but it is not until Sonali spies on Rahul and Atif in embrace that Pooja must face the fact that her husband has found love with a man. The manner in which Pooja and Rahul cope with the change winds into an ending that is profoundly surprising.
One of the many gifts of Dhalla is his comfortable manipulation of Hindu words and customs and aromas and traditions: he weaves a multifaceted mandala that teaches the readers so much about Indian culture. He also surveys many of the beliefs and myths of Hinduism that offer explanations of human behavior, including sexuality, that is very well considered and informative. His dialogue is peppered with influences from Muslim thought (from Atif) and Hindu thought (from Pooja): it is also smoothly sophisticated in construction in a way that makes his very sensual love scenes excitingly poetic and credible. There is so much in this novel to mesmerize the reader that words in a review falter in attempting to express the impact of this fine novel. Rarely has a love story in all its facets and permutations been so consistently effective and affecting. Ghalib Shiraz Dhalla is an inordinately gifted writer - one of our best. His gift is extravagant but it is also keenly honed in subtlety. We should be hearing a lot more about him in the coming months and years.
Grady Harp
April 26, 2014
Finally, here’s a story, set in the U.S., with two South Asian men who fall in love� with each other! Thank you, thank you! The writing is often beautiful and the emotions “felt� real. One love scene was quite profound and poetic. Still and very importantly the romance between the lovers appeared authentic. Dhalla reveals some deep psycho-emotional insights. (I never understood why women write M/M stories and books�.they simply cannot understand the dynamic, and they create an irksome and flat portrayal. Gees, don't get me started.)
Overall, the story in Two Krishnas was compelling. I appreciated the relevant sociological threads about Hindus and Muslims that are woven in throughout the book. The non-English words and ideas were intelligently handled, respecting this reader’s ability to understand the context; or these words/concepts were explained but not gratuitously. Importantly, such words and concepts added to the texture of the book and its characters.
I had problems with some elements which were stereotypical and cliches. These included: Atif’s childhood experiences, and specifically, his family dynamics with male figures (his father and his uncle); Atif being the younger lover (and passive) to the older Rahul; the husband who betrays his wife; Pooja as the distraught and overly-dependent wife who learns of her husband’s straying; and the overwrought and devastating ending.
The lengthier background pieces about Kenya did seem superfluous. Also, I often wondered if knowing about the author’s Hollywood experience (from the inner book cover) influenced how I viewed this book � it seemed constructed to suit a movie. I found some passages to be very slick and too dramatic.
The upshot: This book was rewarding and engaging. I would read 10 of this book before merely considering any LGBT-themed book with solely white characters or with curry or rice queens vis a vis potato queens.
Please, please, Dhalla, be working on your next book.
Overall, the story in Two Krishnas was compelling. I appreciated the relevant sociological threads about Hindus and Muslims that are woven in throughout the book. The non-English words and ideas were intelligently handled, respecting this reader’s ability to understand the context; or these words/concepts were explained but not gratuitously. Importantly, such words and concepts added to the texture of the book and its characters.
I had problems with some elements which were stereotypical and cliches. These included: Atif’s childhood experiences, and specifically, his family dynamics with male figures (his father and his uncle); Atif being the younger lover (and passive) to the older Rahul; the husband who betrays his wife; Pooja as the distraught and overly-dependent wife who learns of her husband’s straying; and the overwrought and devastating ending.
The lengthier background pieces about Kenya did seem superfluous. Also, I often wondered if knowing about the author’s Hollywood experience (from the inner book cover) influenced how I viewed this book � it seemed constructed to suit a movie. I found some passages to be very slick and too dramatic.
The upshot: This book was rewarding and engaging. I would read 10 of this book before merely considering any LGBT-themed book with solely white characters or with curry or rice queens vis a vis potato queens.
Please, please, Dhalla, be working on your next book.
February 1, 2013
A wonderful book about a heartbreaking exploration of forbidden love and desire, passion, and secrets.
The The Exiles (Two Krishnas) is the kind of book you engage with on so many levels with influences from Muslim culture (Atif) and Hindu culture (Pooja) and transforming each thoughts in to wonderful poetry. and i can say the author is successful in stretching my understanding of love.
There is so much skill in words in this book that mesmerizes us while exploring the magic, power & frailty of love and loss with sensual Sufi poetry and simplistic philosophy bringing out on a spiritual level of enlightenment in reader. A Beautifully written work, worth the sorrow of impossible love. I think I am going to read it again..
The The Exiles (Two Krishnas) is the kind of book you engage with on so many levels with influences from Muslim culture (Atif) and Hindu culture (Pooja) and transforming each thoughts in to wonderful poetry. and i can say the author is successful in stretching my understanding of love.
There is so much skill in words in this book that mesmerizes us while exploring the magic, power & frailty of love and loss with sensual Sufi poetry and simplistic philosophy bringing out on a spiritual level of enlightenment in reader. A Beautifully written work, worth the sorrow of impossible love. I think I am going to read it again..
February 1, 2013
A wonderful book about a heartbreaking exploration of forbidden love and desire, passion, and secrets.
The Two Krishnas (The Exiles) is the kind of book you engage with on so many levels with influences from Muslim culture (Atif) and Hindu culture (Pooja) and transforming each thoughts in to wonderful poetry. and i can say the author is successful in stretching my understanding of love.
There is so much skill in words in this book that mesmerizes us while exploring the magic, power & frailty of love and loss with sensual Sufi poetry and simplistic philosophy bringing out on a spiritual level of enlightenment in reader. A Beautifully written work, worth the sorrow of impossible love. I think I am going to read it again..
The Two Krishnas (The Exiles) is the kind of book you engage with on so many levels with influences from Muslim culture (Atif) and Hindu culture (Pooja) and transforming each thoughts in to wonderful poetry. and i can say the author is successful in stretching my understanding of love.
There is so much skill in words in this book that mesmerizes us while exploring the magic, power & frailty of love and loss with sensual Sufi poetry and simplistic philosophy bringing out on a spiritual level of enlightenment in reader. A Beautifully written work, worth the sorrow of impossible love. I think I am going to read it again..
August 19, 2012
Beautifully written, moving from Los Angeles now and Kenya in the early 1980s, this novel of love and loss is powerful, whether it relates a familiar culture and tale or one that seems quite distant from your own life.
February 6, 2019
I just finished reading it. And all I can say is thank you, Ghalib Shiraz Dhalla. Thank you for giving voice to the feelings and experiences of so many of us.
A book so full of contrasts, you can't help falling in love and at the same time hate all the characters, that take decisions and let themself be guided from the tides, unable to react. Just as it happens in real life. But it takes a great writer to convey all this feelings and situations without sounding pathetic or rethorical, and mr.Ghalib Shiraz Dhalla did it! A must read for everyone who seeks for a deep story, never boring, sublimely written and that can let you upset and full of questions.
A book so full of contrasts, you can't help falling in love and at the same time hate all the characters, that take decisions and let themself be guided from the tides, unable to react. Just as it happens in real life. But it takes a great writer to convey all this feelings and situations without sounding pathetic or rethorical, and mr.Ghalib Shiraz Dhalla did it! A must read for everyone who seeks for a deep story, never boring, sublimely written and that can let you upset and full of questions.
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July 29, 2020Very Rare It is when I glue myself to read and finish a book in 1 day.
This one had me, the easiness, the mellow and the love and possession of your love in this book is nothing but a smooth feeling. I felt a part of it, I could envision Pooja, her tinkles of bangles and even the sound of her blender.
Rahul and Atif, a relationship all of us want and resist at the same time. The passiveness and possession of love between a man and his young boy feels silk on your skin.
Aren't we all going through somewhat or the same?
This one had me, the easiness, the mellow and the love and possession of your love in this book is nothing but a smooth feeling. I felt a part of it, I could envision Pooja, her tinkles of bangles and even the sound of her blender.
Rahul and Atif, a relationship all of us want and resist at the same time. The passiveness and possession of love between a man and his young boy feels silk on your skin.
Aren't we all going through somewhat or the same?
February 24, 2018
I kinda liked the overall theme(s) of this book. Pooja's character left me in a bit of a hard place though: on one hand, she seems to be something out of a 1970s Hindi film, but on the other, I found myself rooting for her, somewhat. The protagonists, not quite. I'm not entirely sure about the need for the Kenya episode in the book though. Maybe I missed something.
March 7, 2021
This book had me ping-ponging between enjoyment and dislike, as sections of beautiful prose and declarations of the soul-deep experience of love were intercut with drama that would belong in a much trashier story. Up until the 90% mark I was content giving the book 3 stars, since the parts I liked were gorgeous and I really enjoyed this book for its depiction of Indian immigrants (especially Indian people who had lived in other British colonies). However, the book slapped me with an ending that I should have seen coming based on the allusions to Hindu mythology but which upset me all the same. Books are allowed to have shocking, violent, or seemingly random endings but they have to be earned and to fit in with the tone. This one was a shot to the foot.
May 31, 2023
This was going to be a 5 (because I really dig the prose poetry style of writing and how well he ties in Sufi poetry and Hindu culture into the story), until the ending because WHAT??
Would still recommend reading it because it deals beautifully with desire, morality and faith. Also it’s a Brown Queer book!!
Would still recommend reading it because it deals beautifully with desire, morality and faith. Also it’s a Brown Queer book!!
August 19, 2019
this book is so badly written--an overwrought fantasy of what upper class gay life might be. I could not finish it.
November 23, 2021
This was such a weird fucking book. Just the most depressing book I’ve come across.
March 15, 2017
Started off so good but just dragged on and on and then the ending....what the heck. So bad.
February 22, 2017
I’ll be frank and tell you guys that I was quite apprehensive about picking up this book. It is mainly because I have very little experience with LGBT literature. Oh of course I have read fiction novels where a supporting character was Gay or Lesbian, but never the protagonist. But so far my short experience in book blogging community has taught me to pick up new things with an open mind so as to enjoy and explore wider genres. So I agreed and man, am I glad now that I picked this one up!
The story explores mainly the life and journey of its protagonists � Pooja, Rahul and Atif. Rahul and Pooja hail from Kenya and they have a certain shared past before settling in L.A. The story begins at a point where Rahul is a well settled banker, Pooja is a homemaker managing her catering business from her own kitchen and Ajay is a typical teenager who is into gym and clubbing. While the disappearing sizzle of Rahul and Pooja’s marital life has left Pooja a bit confused and lonely, Rahul on the other hand finds solace in Atif, an immigrant from Mumbai.
Unlike my usual taste for exploring the characters of a story first, I would like to talk about the plot first. This is undoubtedly one of the best plotline that I have come across in recent times. Don’t get me wrong, it is not as complex as Da Vinci Code or as action packed as Bourne series or as mysterious as Sherlock Holmes novels. It is pretty simple and straightforward. But the different aspects of a common people’s lives covered that gives this novel an exotic feel. For instance, a person struggling to find their true identity, or a person finally embracing his own sexuality, or a person’s individual take on religion� The author managed to capture the different cultures and interlink them. The love scenes do not include any vulgarity but pure love and passion pours out of those pages. Human nature and raw emotions have been captured in a beautiful manner. There’s a hint of everything in this page turner � drama, romance, deception and honesty.
Now, a plot like that needs strong characters that can do justice to it. And indeed, our protagonists play their roles to perfection. While Rahul plays the most dominant role and is the link to Pooja, and Atif, these other two people play as important an important role too. Rahul’s past shaped him up and Pooja has been a true companion to him, but its Atif’s influence that finally brought Rahul’s character to its epitome. Atif’s brings in with him his own experiences, his status of an illegal immigrant and his involvement with Rahul takes him to a place where as a reader I was on a roller coaster ride. At the same time, Pooja by no fault of her own, is lonely and her life is difficult on a totally different level. Then there is Greg � whose religious beliefs seem to be distancing him from his family. There’s also Pooja’s gossipy neighbor Sonali and a few other minor characters. Each true to life and easy to relate to.
Everything is brought together with great attention to detail and careful prose in order to make this book what it is � A Must Read!
The story explores mainly the life and journey of its protagonists � Pooja, Rahul and Atif. Rahul and Pooja hail from Kenya and they have a certain shared past before settling in L.A. The story begins at a point where Rahul is a well settled banker, Pooja is a homemaker managing her catering business from her own kitchen and Ajay is a typical teenager who is into gym and clubbing. While the disappearing sizzle of Rahul and Pooja’s marital life has left Pooja a bit confused and lonely, Rahul on the other hand finds solace in Atif, an immigrant from Mumbai.
Unlike my usual taste for exploring the characters of a story first, I would like to talk about the plot first. This is undoubtedly one of the best plotline that I have come across in recent times. Don’t get me wrong, it is not as complex as Da Vinci Code or as action packed as Bourne series or as mysterious as Sherlock Holmes novels. It is pretty simple and straightforward. But the different aspects of a common people’s lives covered that gives this novel an exotic feel. For instance, a person struggling to find their true identity, or a person finally embracing his own sexuality, or a person’s individual take on religion� The author managed to capture the different cultures and interlink them. The love scenes do not include any vulgarity but pure love and passion pours out of those pages. Human nature and raw emotions have been captured in a beautiful manner. There’s a hint of everything in this page turner � drama, romance, deception and honesty.
Now, a plot like that needs strong characters that can do justice to it. And indeed, our protagonists play their roles to perfection. While Rahul plays the most dominant role and is the link to Pooja, and Atif, these other two people play as important an important role too. Rahul’s past shaped him up and Pooja has been a true companion to him, but its Atif’s influence that finally brought Rahul’s character to its epitome. Atif’s brings in with him his own experiences, his status of an illegal immigrant and his involvement with Rahul takes him to a place where as a reader I was on a roller coaster ride. At the same time, Pooja by no fault of her own, is lonely and her life is difficult on a totally different level. Then there is Greg � whose religious beliefs seem to be distancing him from his family. There’s also Pooja’s gossipy neighbor Sonali and a few other minor characters. Each true to life and easy to relate to.
Everything is brought together with great attention to detail and careful prose in order to make this book what it is � A Must Read!
February 22, 2017
I’ll be frank and tell you guys that I was quite apprehensive about picking up this book. It is mainly because I have very little experience with LGBT literature. Oh of course I have read fiction novels where a supporting character was Gay or Lesbian, but never the protagonist. But so far my short experience in book blogging community has taught me to pick up new things with an open mind so as to enjoy and explore wider genres. So I agreed and man, am I glad now that I picked this one up!
The story explores mainly the life and journey of its protagonists � Pooja, Rahul and Atif. Rahul and Pooja hail from Kenya and they have a certain shared past before settling in L.A. The story begins at a point where Rahul is a well settled banker, Pooja is a homemaker managing her catering business from her own kitchen and Ajay is a typical teenager who is into gym and clubbing. While the disappearing sizzle of Rahul and Pooja’s marital life has left Pooja a bit confused and lonely, Rahul on the other hand finds solace in Atif, an immigrant from Mumbai.
Unlike my usual taste for exploring the characters of a story first, I would like to talk about the plot first. This is undoubtedly one of the best plotline that I have come across in recent times. Don’t get me wrong, it is not as complex as Da Vinci Code or as action packed as Bourne series or as mysterious as Sherlock Holmes novels. It is pretty simple and straightforward. But the different aspects of a common people’s lives covered that gives this novel an exotic feel. For instance, a person struggling to find their true identity, or a person finally embracing his own sexuality, or a person’s individual take on religion� The author managed to capture the different cultures and interlink them. The love scenes do not include any vulgarity but pure love and passion pours out of those pages. Human nature and raw emotions have been captured in a beautiful manner. There’s a hint of everything in this page turner � drama, romance, deception and honesty.
Now, a plot like that needs strong characters that can do justice to it. And indeed, our protagonists play their roles to perfection. While Rahul plays the most dominant role and is the link to Pooja, and Atif, these other two people play as important an important role too. Rahul’s past shaped him up and Pooja has been a true companion to him, but its Atif’s influence that finally brought Rahul’s character to its epitome. Atif’s brings in with him his own experiences, his status of an illegal immigrant and his involvement with Rahul takes him to a place where as a reader I was on a roller coaster ride. At the same time, Pooja by no fault of her own, is lonely and her life is difficult on a totally different level. Then there is Greg � whose religious beliefs seem to be distancing him from his family. There’s also Pooja’s gossipy neighbor Sonali and a few other minor characters. Each true to life and easy to relate to.
Everything is brought together with great attention to detail and careful prose in order to make this book what it is � A Must Read!
The story explores mainly the life and journey of its protagonists � Pooja, Rahul and Atif. Rahul and Pooja hail from Kenya and they have a certain shared past before settling in L.A. The story begins at a point where Rahul is a well settled banker, Pooja is a homemaker managing her catering business from her own kitchen and Ajay is a typical teenager who is into gym and clubbing. While the disappearing sizzle of Rahul and Pooja’s marital life has left Pooja a bit confused and lonely, Rahul on the other hand finds solace in Atif, an immigrant from Mumbai.
Unlike my usual taste for exploring the characters of a story first, I would like to talk about the plot first. This is undoubtedly one of the best plotline that I have come across in recent times. Don’t get me wrong, it is not as complex as Da Vinci Code or as action packed as Bourne series or as mysterious as Sherlock Holmes novels. It is pretty simple and straightforward. But the different aspects of a common people’s lives covered that gives this novel an exotic feel. For instance, a person struggling to find their true identity, or a person finally embracing his own sexuality, or a person’s individual take on religion� The author managed to capture the different cultures and interlink them. The love scenes do not include any vulgarity but pure love and passion pours out of those pages. Human nature and raw emotions have been captured in a beautiful manner. There’s a hint of everything in this page turner � drama, romance, deception and honesty.
Now, a plot like that needs strong characters that can do justice to it. And indeed, our protagonists play their roles to perfection. While Rahul plays the most dominant role and is the link to Pooja, and Atif, these other two people play as important an important role too. Rahul’s past shaped him up and Pooja has been a true companion to him, but its Atif’s influence that finally brought Rahul’s character to its epitome. Atif’s brings in with him his own experiences, his status of an illegal immigrant and his involvement with Rahul takes him to a place where as a reader I was on a roller coaster ride. At the same time, Pooja by no fault of her own, is lonely and her life is difficult on a totally different level. Then there is Greg � whose religious beliefs seem to be distancing him from his family. There’s also Pooja’s gossipy neighbor Sonali and a few other minor characters. Each true to life and easy to relate to.
Everything is brought together with great attention to detail and careful prose in order to make this book what it is � A Must Read!
March 20, 2012
Here is a situation when I really wish that ŷ had a 1/2 star system. The Two Krishnas was a very strong 3.5 stars for me. Dhalla's style is detailed but not slow, smooth but not boring and makes for a very good read. I was able to clearly see the life of Rahul, his wife Pooja and their son Ajay as well as their immigrant life in Los Angeles. The characters are 100% believable and I didn't doubt their authenticity for a single page. I liked the way the Dhalla wove history and phrases from both Hinduism and Islam into the dialogue, the thoughts of the characters and the plot. I also appreciate the way he handled the intimate scenes between Rahul and Atif - they were not vulgar or gratuitous which was refreshing to read. The only thing I didn't like was some of the tangent side stories of minor characters and some of the extreme details which sometimes made it a little challenging to follow at times.
The story revolves around the sexual identity crisis of Rahul, a married father working as a successful banker and his dutiful wife Pooja who spends her days at home working on her small catering business and wondering why her husband has grown distant. Their son, Ajay, is a typical "dude" who spends a lot of time at the gym and hanging out with his buds. Rahul's affair with Atif, a young Muslim about the age of his son, is the painful undoing of everything but ultimately so that Rahul can be honest about his sexuality. It is a sad story about truth, lies, deception and honesty that, as a gay man, I can only imagine the pain of such an experience.
There is a lot of history and mystery behind Rahul and Pooja's story of how they came to end up in L.A. Dhalla does a fine job of letting the story unfold at just the right pace, enough to keep you interested. The catalyst is Rahul's sexual identity crisis and things really start to unravel almost from page one.
I don't want to give anything away but I will say that the ending is quite something and unexpected. it threw me for a loop for sure. Dhalla's skills with words made The Two Krishnas very authentic and kept me turning the pages.
Update 3/19/12
After a lot of reflection and continually thinking about this novel, I decided that I should definitely move the star rating to 4.
The story revolves around the sexual identity crisis of Rahul, a married father working as a successful banker and his dutiful wife Pooja who spends her days at home working on her small catering business and wondering why her husband has grown distant. Their son, Ajay, is a typical "dude" who spends a lot of time at the gym and hanging out with his buds. Rahul's affair with Atif, a young Muslim about the age of his son, is the painful undoing of everything but ultimately so that Rahul can be honest about his sexuality. It is a sad story about truth, lies, deception and honesty that, as a gay man, I can only imagine the pain of such an experience.
There is a lot of history and mystery behind Rahul and Pooja's story of how they came to end up in L.A. Dhalla does a fine job of letting the story unfold at just the right pace, enough to keep you interested. The catalyst is Rahul's sexual identity crisis and things really start to unravel almost from page one.
I don't want to give anything away but I will say that the ending is quite something and unexpected. it threw me for a loop for sure. Dhalla's skills with words made The Two Krishnas very authentic and kept me turning the pages.
Update 3/19/12
After a lot of reflection and continually thinking about this novel, I decided that I should definitely move the star rating to 4.
August 16, 2013
I did not love this book. As usual, I felt a good editor would have helped some of the problems.
I finally tossed it aside after Pooja's Big Drama of discovering her husband is queer and having an affair. I know I missed the whole Kenya thing, but honestly, I just couldn't go any further. Repetitious, overwrought prose. It felt as if Dhalla was trying to convince himself of Pooja's feelings--he sure wasn't convincing me.
But I'm notoriously hard on contemporary works. After all, I'm simultaneously reading Virginia Woolf. Hard not to come out on the wrong end of the stick under those circumstances.
I finally tossed it aside after Pooja's Big Drama of discovering her husband is queer and having an affair. I know I missed the whole Kenya thing, but honestly, I just couldn't go any further. Repetitious, overwrought prose. It felt as if Dhalla was trying to convince himself of Pooja's feelings--he sure wasn't convincing me.
But I'm notoriously hard on contemporary works. After all, I'm simultaneously reading Virginia Woolf. Hard not to come out on the wrong end of the stick under those circumstances.
November 7, 2015
I'm always amazed when a gay male author can manage to write (somewhat) compelling and (pseudo) complicated gay male characters, only to have them be accompanied by flat, female characters rooted in misogynistic stereotypes. I kept waiting for the women in the book to become more nuanced but instead they seemed to be little more than plot devices.
There was also almost a justification/glorification of cheating that was pervasive through the book, an unexamined act of sexual violence against his wife, and what felt like a very contrived "gay panic" murder ending (along with a police shooting, and disturbing suicide).
There was also almost a justification/glorification of cheating that was pervasive through the book, an unexamined act of sexual violence against his wife, and what felt like a very contrived "gay panic" murder ending (along with a police shooting, and disturbing suicide).
December 16, 2014
An extremely rare plot...interesting and disturbing. You find yourself oscillating between the emotions of all the characters in this book..there is no right, there is no wrong... And right amidst this confusion, you realise you truly cannot judge anyone...you cannot condemn someone for cheating, you cannot love someone for being faithful... the confusion itself is beautiful and stretches your mind to accommodate thoughts that probably wouldn't come to you as easily.
I gave it 4 stars because I didnt like the end...too traumatic for me.
I gave it 4 stars because I didnt like the end...too traumatic for me.
July 22, 2015
Funny enough I never noticed the two men kissing on the cover until I was mid-way through the book. The intimate scenes were tastefully written and actually left plenty to the imagination. The plot, while very simple and quite realistic, kept me reading at a good pace despite the chunks of Hindi I skipped over. Youtubed Qawwali music (mentioned in the book) and I was delighted as I am not familiar with the music but it is a perfect soundtrack to this book. The climax was how I imagined it to be, the ending was not. Good read! I wish I could have given it a half more star.
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October 21, 2023After struggling through this book for a good three months, and coming up with just about every excuse to read something else, I decided I'm going to have to DNF this one. The writing was really slow for me, and most of the characters were too one-sided. I did really like how Dhalla intertwined a lot of Hindu mythology, though. I think that some people might really enjoy this book, but the writing style just wasn't for me.
November 3, 2016
The book makes an average start but gets better with every passing chapter and culminating into a very emotional end. The end is so powerful that you actually grieve with Pooja and mourns her loss. I also liked the chapter on Kenya which brought a fresh change to the otherwise one track story.The book although had factual errors on Indian Mythology but was able to drive home the points on religious tolerance on homosexuality.
August 16, 2018
Oh i was swept off my feet, so much so that I tried sending Ghalib flowers !
The depth of emotions i went through reading this was overwhelming. And I had equal parts of love and sympathy for all the three central characters. Ghalib has done a wonderful job of presenting the complexities of human emotions and in the end, the futility of it all.
Of the many hundred books I've read, this is the only book that made me skip work just to get to the last page of the book.
The depth of emotions i went through reading this was overwhelming. And I had equal parts of love and sympathy for all the three central characters. Ghalib has done a wonderful job of presenting the complexities of human emotions and in the end, the futility of it all.
Of the many hundred books I've read, this is the only book that made me skip work just to get to the last page of the book.
October 8, 2012
a little over halfway but really struggling to get through this one. the writing is so overwrought, especially the italicized sections that reveal the characters interior monologues. skimming mostly just to satisfy my desire for plot.
January 12, 2014
Shiraz Dhalla like other Indian and Indian-American authors skillfully blends a story about family with acculturation and accommodation to a changing world. Very well written, SD puts the reader inside the heads of the many characters.
October 29, 2014
The feeling of being an exile sounds real. I had to try really hard not to be judgmental of the characters, and that is probably because of the real-life like portrayal of the characters.
Not the most captivating book of this genre, but held my attention till the end.
Not the most captivating book of this genre, but held my attention till the end.
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