No wonder – his “education” about gay life – such as it is – comes from bad porn and grim gay literature. He also doesn’t think gay men have relationships, deserve romance, or can ever have a happy ending. The pressure for him to find a woman, get married, and settle down is significant, and even though his parents are loving and supportive, Kunal is afraid they will reject him if he comes out. Kunal knows that he is gay, but as the oldest son of a traditional Indian family, he is deeply in the closet. Don’t get me wrong – he is also very persistent and determined to help Kunal figure out how to be true to himself. That has never stopped him from being himself though, and even though he is very open about his own sexuality, he pays particular attention to Kunal’s hang-ups and is extremely patient. Oscar is Filipino, so he knows what it’s like to be considered “different” by mainstream society. Oscar is an out and proud bisexual man, he owns the only sex shop in the small, somewhat quaint and rather creepy town of Harmony, and he pursues Kunal pretty much as soon as they meet in an out-of-town gay club. It is also somewhat complementary to Halloween, which also gets celebrated by the group of friends the two main characters, Oscar and Kunal, are part of. With its spiritual significance as the victory of light over darkness, good over evil, knowledge over ignorance, and hope over despair, it is the perfect focus point for the main characters.

There are a lot of details about its observance and meaning in this story, and I enjoyed learning more about it. It falls between mid-October and mid-November which brings it close to Halloween in the northern hemisphere.

What he doesn't expect is a slow seduction, or to have to decide what it is he really wants in life.ĭiwali is one of the major festivals of Hinduism and a traditional spring festival in its home region of India. Out of town at a gay club one night, he bumps into Oscar, proprietor of Harmony's only sex shop, and figures his secret is now officially out. That should be enough to keep anyone's mind preoccupied, but Kunal can't really ignore that he's nearly thirty, single, and still buried in the closet. Kunal, relative newcomer to the strange town of Harmony, has his hands full preparing for Diwali.

A Honeyed Light by Freddie Milano