The Devourers: A Novel

In Kolkata, India, college professor Alok encounters a mysterious stranger who shares a bizarre confession and an extraordinary story. Intrigued by the unfinished tale, Alok agrees to transcribe a collection of battered notebooks, weathered parchments, and once-living skins that the stranger provides. These documents chronicle a race of people who are more than human yet kin to beasts, ruled by blood-deep instincts and ancient desires. The narrative features a rough wanderer in seventeenth-century Mughal India who becomes irrevocably drawn to a defiant woman, only to be torn apart by two clashing worlds. As Alok transcribes each chapter, his interest in the stranger grows and transforms into something darker and more urgent. The novel shifts between present and past, weaving together language, visceral action, compelling characters, and stark emotion. It won the Lambda Literary Award and was named one of the best books of the year by The Washington Post.