This Pride Month, The Bombay Circle Press brings you a curated list of underrated queer books that deserve a spot on your reading shelf. From fake weddings and coming-of-age stories to sapphic longing and historical fiction, these five books explore love, identity and family in unique ways. Caution: once you start reading, you may find it impossible to stop until the final page.
Heap Earth Upon It by Chloe Michelle Howarth
Set in rural Ireland in 1965, Heap Earth Upon It follows the O’Leary siblings as they arrive in the village of Ballycrea hoping to leave their troubled past behind. When their neighbours, Bill and Betty Nevan, welcome them into the community, life seems to improve. However, a growing and intense attachment between two characters slowly turns unsettling. Filled with suspense, secrets, and slow-burning sapphic yearning, this novel combines emotional depth with gothic tension, keeping readers guessing until the very end.
A Thousand Times Before by Asha Thanki
This moving family saga spans generations and continents, taking readers from Partition-era India to present-day Brooklyn. Ayukta and her wife, Nadya, are considering starting a family when Ayukta reveals a secret passed down through the women in her family: a magical tapestry that allows each generation to experience the memories of those who came before them. Through stories of love, loss, resilience, and change, the novel explores inheritance, womanhood, and queer identity while weaving together history and magical realism.
The English Problem by Beena Kamlani
When eighteen-year-old Shiv Advani is chosen by Mahatma Gandhi to study law in England and return to help build a free India, his future appears set. But London changes everything. As Shiv becomes increasingly drawn to the culture and freedoms of the Empire, he finds himself caught between two worlds. Alongside its exploration of colonialism, identity, and belonging, the novel also offers a nuanced portrayal of queer desire and self-discovery. Richly researched and beautifully written, it is a compelling story about personal and political liberation.
Sunburn by Chloe Michelle Howarth
Set in a small Irish town during the early 1990s, Sunburn follows Lucy, a teenager struggling to understand her growing feelings for her friend Susannah. Against the backdrop of a conservative community, Lucy experiences the excitement and confusion of first love while confronting expectations placed upon her by family, religion, and society. Tender, heartbreaking, and deeply atmospheric, the novel captures the intensity of adolescent desire and the loneliness of feeling different.
D’Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding by Chencia C. Higgins
For readers looking for something lighter, this charming romantic comedy delivers plenty of fun. Kris, an aspiring influencer, and D’Vaughn, who is still figuring out how to come out to her mother, agree to fake a relationship for a reality television wedding competition. As they spend six weeks convincing everyone that they’re in love, genuine feelings begin to develop. Filled with humour, heart, and lovable characters, this fake-dating romance is both entertaining and surprisingly emotional.
Queer fiction can be many things: joyful, heartbreaking and comforting. These stories remind us that experiences of members of the LGBTQIA+ community are diverse and deeply human. Follow The Bombay Circle Press Bulletin for more reading recommendations and literary discoveries!
— Written by Nurita Datwani