Reviews

PUBLISHED BY MAGNUS BOOKS IN SEPTEMBER 2011 HARPERCOLLINS, INDIA IN JUNE 2011       Advance Praise for THE TWO KRISHNAS A NOVEL by Ghalib Shiraz Dhalla

"A beautiful, sometimes joyful, yet heartbreaking exploration of love in all its manifestations. Here it is many days later, and I still find myself thinking about Dhalla's insights into the fierceness and frailty of the human heart. Oh, the things we will do for and in the name of love. Dhalla is a brilliant young writer, and his novel is exquisite, drenched in emotion, and timely." – Lisa See, best-selling author of Shanghai Girls.   "A novel filled with unexpected turns and beauty, 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, best-selling author of The Palace of Illusions.   "Agile and compassionate…Dhalla renders scenes of great emotion with equal parts passion and precision. A classic tale of tragic, forbidden love.” – Christopher Rice, New York Times best-selling author of A Density of Souls and Blind Fall.>   “Dhalla immerses us in his gripping narrative as he delves into the nooks and crannies of human desire and explores both its splendor and the havoc it can wreck. A formidably intelligent and adept writer…a masterfully written novel.” – Bapsi Sidhwa, author of Cracking India and Water.   “A powerful, sure footed novel of love, longing and loss that richly portrays life like no other work of fiction…Dhalla's talent shines and he shows us he's wise beyond his years.”—Mark Jude Poirier, author of Goats.   “A half-Bollywood, half-Hollywood love story set in contemporary Los Angeles that is both up-to-the-minute and drenched in a romantic doom as riveting as the myths of ancient India. The skillfully plotted story of divided loyalties has so much heart it's at times painful to read, but is far too honest to put down -- a fascinating read.”  –Andrew Holleran, author of Dancer from the Dance. “In his elegiac, yet redemptive new book, Ghalib Shiraz examines sexual politics, gender orientations, and how the clash between what is and what should be can fester deep wounds…Dhalla takes relationships into deeper, more murky territory.” – Elle Magazine. "Women being married to gay men and then feeling undesired and unloved is as universal a theme as the resultant destructive infidelity.  Dhalla peppers his story with full-on drama and describes both the city of L.A. and the lives of its desi immigrants extremely evocatively.” – Verve Magazine.   “Stands to be added to novels such as The Namesake and Snow Flower and the Secret Fan as a story that blends relatable human drama with the tapestry of different cultures.” – Frontiers Magazine.   “(It) catches you unawares.  Just when you are resigned to another – somewhat florid – account of the Great Indian Diaspora, it decides to throw a whammy, or two…Dhalla is at his best when he portrays the hurt and confusion of the wife who discovers in the most shocking way that her husband of over two decades is gay.” – The Hindu.   “Another masterfully written novel by (this) brilliant young writer.  The 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’s 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 reservations.” – Afternoon Despatch & Courier   “Dhalla explores all the dark corners of the human heart, juxtaposing familial love with romantic love and dissecting the anatomy of infidelity. Dhalla is a skilled storyteller with an astute understanding of human nature.  It is a tragic tale painstakingly woven and the reader’s heart aches for characters so beautifully broken. The language is sensual and silky like a sparkling ribbon winding around a dusty old box only magnifying the tragic fate of this trio.” – The Sunday Tribune.    “The prose flows like a crystal clear stream, with rarely a needless word. The author dexterously weaves in references to Hindu mythology and romantic Sufi poetry. Every detail packs layers of meaning, and even the few minor characters are finely drawn. In the hands of a lesser writer, the final denouement could easily have sunk into a filmi masala melodrama. Despite a close shave towards excess spiciness, the novel manages to end in a way that leaves an indelible imprint on the reader’s mind.” – Deccan Herald.   “Dhalla's second novel are stock gay-fiction standards transformed into wrenchingly real characters by the author's mastery of human emotion…In this novel's more nuanced, more honest, more poetic universe, duplicity has consequences and tragedy is inevitable. This is not a happily-ever-after story; its heartbreak is magnificently cathartic and enthrallingly inevitable.” – Outlook Columbus.   “A luscious Indian saga set in contemporary Los Angeles, this is an evocative tale of love in the modern world where choices can transcend the very borders that we seek to build. Written in tune with existing diaspora literature, such as The Namesake, Ghalib Shiraz Dhalla’s second book is searing, to say the least. This is a book that grabs your attention from the first page right till the end.  One doesn’t really know in which direction the characters are hurtling, throughout the narrative.” – Business World.   “A gripping tale of love, infidelity, desire and truth.” – Mid Day.