Half Light

By: Mahesh Rao

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Hardcover | 13 January 2026

At a Glance

Hardcover
288 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
21.6 x 13.5 x 2.8

Hardcover

RRP $39.99

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In the misty mountains of Darjeeling, a landslide entraps the guests and staff of a dilapidated hotel. Cooped up inside, two men exchange lingering glances. For carefree Neville, this is one of many exhilarating encounters, stolen kisses in stairways and parked cars. But for Pavan, an employee desperate to avoid detection, their entanglement prises open his carefully contained and solitary existence with unforgettable consequences.

Four years later, their paths cross again amidst the towering skyscrapers and ghostly smog of Mumbai. Pavan has fled the hills, burying all memories of their encounter, while Neville is now a flailing graduate, craving something more than the naked torsos blowing up his phone. When he glimpses Pavan working behind the reception of a luxurious hotel, he demands a meeting, pursuing him with mischief and menace as the secrets of their time together threaten to tumble into the light.

Set on the brink of India's ruling to decriminalise homosexuality, this is a tender, richly atmospheric and elegantly wry story of outlawed desire and the hope of a life beyond concealment.

Industry Reviews

'A stunning novel, gorgeously written. Rao deeply understands the human heart in all its frailty, cruelty and abundant promise' - Kamila Shamsie, author of Best of Friends

'In this remarkable novel, Mahesh Rao gives voice to the forgotten and the ignored, and my lord, what a voice it is. Half Light is steeped to a sublime perfection, an astonishing literary achievement' - Rabih Alameddine, author of The Wrong End of the Telescope

'An incredible dual coming of age story, set during a (not so distant) time when homosexuality was illegal in India. Half Light is a searing tour de force of shame, sex, love and identity. I was enchanted' - Thomas Stewart, author of Real Boys

'Tender and timeless. A quiet story of hope and survival with an ending that took my breath away' - Soula Emmanuel, author of Wild Geese

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