Classic Queer Reads for Pride Month

Unplug and unwind from the blistering heat and immerse yourself in these timeless Queer classics!

Funny Boy By Shyam Selvadurai (1994)
Selvadurai’s poignant coming-of-age novel won the Lambda Literary Award for Gay Fiction. The story is divided into six subsets that explore the complicated but beautiful journey of a young boy from a wealthy family in Columbo as he comes to terms with his emerging sexuality against the backdrop of the Sinhala-Tamil tensions that led up to the 1983 riots.

Kari By Amruta Patil (2008)
Patil is considered India’s first female graphic novelist, and Kari is her stunning Debut graphic novel that took readers by storm with its sardonic titular character, punchy dialogues, and haunting illustrations. The book is a thought-provoking portrayal of lesbian love, in an increasingly heterosexual global atmosphere.

A Little Life by Hanya Yanghira (2015)
Yanghira enraptures our minds and ruptures our hearts as he takes us through this multilayered narrative of trauma, recovery, and the intense nature of relationships. The novel follows a seven-part structure, and multiple perspectives to take the reader back and forth through different periods in the character's lives. It makes for a heavy yet poignant read, that forces one to reevaluate their ideas and beliefs.

The Ministry of Utmost Happiness By Arundhati Roy (2017)
Roy explores the complicated and heartbreaking intricacies of Queer identity and politics against some of the most violent episodes of Indian History. From the Kashmir insurgency to the 2006 Godhra train burnings, Roy's characters navigate life and love in a bustling and crumbling India. The narrative spreads across decades and gives the reader a painful but breathtaking perspective on life, queer identity, and the nature of desire.

On Earth, We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong (2019)
This debut novel by Ocean Vyong is an epistolatory novel that was a finalist for the 2020 Pen Faulkner Award for Fiction. The story is written in the form of a letter to a Vietnamese American boy to his illiterate mother. The protagonist is nicknamed ‘Little Dog’, and we follow his journey as he navigates his queer identity in 1980s Connecticut. The novel challenges stereotypical assumptions about gender and masculinity and draws the readers in with its endearing characters and unique narrative structure.