Part  2 of the Karan – Trilogy

Whereas you could read in Karan how Dev finds out what his life is about by getting to know Karan and his love, the sequel will show the other side.

In the second book of the Karan saga, Karan’s development will be focussed on –naturally accompanied by his sometimes uncomprehending, but always supporting Dev.

Readers will be able to watch how Karan leaves Dev’s protective shadow, experiences his coming out and finally conquers a life of his own.

Synopsis

The world is crowded by inner and outer demons, and they all seem to relish the stupid quirk of not being able to leave Dev Rao and Karan Mahal alone.

After hot-tempered Dev and shy Karan were forced to fight against and for their love for so many years, they are finally living together in London – though not yet officially – as a couple.

If, from now on, there were only the adversities of everyday family and professional life to be kept under control, nobody would so much as utter a single word of complaint. After all, quarrels and conciliations have always been an integral part of them being together, which is not really astonishing, taking their entirely different characters into account.

But this time the adversary is even stronger. Not only does Dev’s past close in on them and endanger their relationship. But also Karan’s old enemy re-enters their life. An adversary, who comes from within and threatens to destroy everything. As is commonly known – you cannot escape the fear residing deep inside yourself...

Character Biographies

Main characters

Karan Chaudhary Mahal:

Although he is still conspicuously sensitive and shy, Karan’s life has changed decisively because of his deep love for Dev and the other’s possessive feelings for him. Karan has succeeded in making a name for himself in the theatrical world, feels safe in his circle of friends and, for the first time ever, experiences the loveliness of belonging somewhere and being accepted – in spite or maybe because of him being different. Increasingly, he protests against things he doesn’t like, so that even salad bowls can serve as throwing objects when his heretofore carefully controlled temper gets the better of him. But the more he and Dev grow closer, the more he gets aware in his darker moments how very little security he finds in himself. And the more the fear inside him grows to lose Dev after all.

Devakumar „Dev“ Rao:

Dev is happy, happier, the absolutely happiest! In his life everything has turned out great after his arrival in London a few years ago. He is a successful actor and has, thus, fulfilled his late mom’s dream, he can finally live his love for Karan Mahal, and even reconciles with his father Arun, a long yearned for but always suppressed desire of him. He senses how life at Karan’s side changes him, but accepts these changes to his restlessness contentedly. Only in moments of crisis, he still isn’t able to control his temper, which lets him do things more than once he has to stand for afterwards – even if it hurts. But nothing and nobody will take away anything from Dev which is his. No matter what he has to undertake to keep it.

Minor characters

Tara Rao:

Tara, officially Dev’s wife, is a small energetic woman with a lot of common sense and a heart of gold. When her marriage is over and she finds out about Dev’s new love, she proves to be a real friend, accepts Karan as Dev’s partner and accomplishes the little miracle of creating a place for them all. In spite of all the difficulties to be overcome, Tara stands her ground admirably – if there wasn’t an irritating loneliness bothering her now and then.

Chandni Rao:

Chandni is Dev’s younger sister. Compared to him, she is a more level-headed sort of a person.Despite her reservation, however, like him she knows what she wants and takes it. Chandni falls in love with Dev’s bodyguard Jonathan and is overjoyed when her feelings are requited. Now her “only” problem is to convince her somewhat overprotective family to accept that of all men a reserved Briton is Mr. Right for her.

Meghna Mahal:

Meghna is Karan’s extraordinary mother, a freethinker who is most unwilling to let herself restrain in her way of seeing the world. She loves her boy unconditionally and allows him his freedom, because she knows that this is the only way he can come to terms with himself and the world around him. Even after the shock of her husband’s Amar sudden death, she remains to be the solid rock in the turmoil of her family’s and friend’s emotional chaos, is on everyone’s side with her advice, sympathy and her so very own kind of wisdom, and still waits patiently for the moment her son will finally confide to her, who is the one person able to assure him so believably that “love handles” actually have a charm of their own.

Clara Richards:

Clara, Karan’s only friend since childhood and Dev’s stage partner at the Jadoo theatre, continues to colour the life of the Raos and Mahals in her extroverted and outspoken way. But apart from her friendship inspired missions to clear Dev’s and Karan’s crises, she must cope with her own romantic adventures, which turn out to be a little bit more complicated than she has expected.

Jaswinder „Jai“ Singh:

Jai is still Dev’s best friend and works as a stage designer at the Jadoo. After he and Karan have finally become friends, he is – reliable, comprehensive and provided with an all enduring sense of humour – an integral part of the Rao-Mahal’s daily life. At first a little unsure, but then increasingly enthusiastic, he supports Dev’s love for the shy man, plays more than once the role as relationship adviser, and is such reminded of the fact that once he himself dreamed of the one real love.

Jonathan Sinclair:

Jonathan is Dev’s very guarded, perfectionist bodyguard, who is rapidly confronted with severe moral conflicts as he develops loving feelings for the whole Rao family, especially for Chandni. But all his attempts at loosening these bonds are destroyed by Chandni’s unconditional love, so that he has to find out now, if he can become a member of a chaotic Indian family or not.

Arun Rao:

Arun is Dev’s father, an Indian travel guide with similar impressive charisma, who married a British woman against all odds. When he and his son reconcile after many years of conflict, a dream of his comes true. But as life is, new events make obvious that he resembles his hot-tempered son for all worldly wisdom more than it seems at first sight. Time will show, if he can come to terms with the decision his son has taken or if their ways will separate again.

Adrian Gregory:

Gregory is an English theatre director enjoying a secret taste for young men. Dev meets him right at the beginning of his stay in England. Although he as member of the British aristocracy gives the impression of being a charming and lofty gentleman, in reality Gregory has a quite ruthless and cold streak. His reasons to support Dev financially are more than selfish regarding his demand for sexual services in return. This incident Dev is apparently not allowed to forget, not only because Gregory works as a director at the Jadoo soon afterwards.

Abheymaniu „Abhey“Allhuwalia:

Abhey, big, quiet, smart und dark, is exactly Clara’s favourite kind of man the first moment she sets eyes on him in his bookshop and falls head over heels in love with him. Of course, she does what a woman has to do, and asks him for a date, unknowingly that even the present life of the young man is very much determined by a dramatic event from his school days – an event, at which also her best friend Karan Mahal played a significant role.

Content

It has happened at last. After having spent years with unfulfilled longing for and then secretly loving each other, the truth about Dev and Karan is finally out – at least in front of Tara, Dev’s wife. Tara, however, reacts very differently from what Karan, always prepared to expect the worst, has been so scared of. Unbelievable, but true! She accepts him as Dev’s Jaan, and begins to create a place for them all. As it is, the hide and seek among the patchwork family is as good as over.

Now, both men are very aware of how valuable the bond between them is, and how carefully it has to be protected in the light of all they have already experienced together in the past. To make Karan his own, even though not legally – since Dev is still not willing to divorce Tara, and Karan is not ready for an outing – but at least symbolically, Dev makes him a present, which is supposed to show everybody: Karan belongs to him. And Karan bursts with happiness.

Slowly, some kind of routine takes over their chaotic life, and their days are determined by their kind of almost normal madness. The bond between Dev and Karan becomes closer and closer, while Clara falls head over heels in love with a mysterious book seller, Chandni demonstrates what a real Rao is made of, Tara, gradually, has to admit to herself that her life lacks something indeed, „adviser in all crises“ Jai is tempted to strangle his best friend more than once, and they all join forces to fight blackmail attempts, old most feared opponents and other dramas. Karan and Dev even succeed in keeping in check the extreme differences of their personalities in their own slightly wacky way, when - from nowhere as it seems - a small misunderstanding wakes up Karan’s old fear. He senses that he compensates with Dev’s fiery affections an emptiness in himself, which should not exist there in the first place. Decidedly however, he represses the doubts. He doesn’t want any changes, because he doesn’t want to lose Dev, not at any price.

But in the course of time, the dark sides of their love become more and more perceivable. While Dev quarrels with himself, his fits of rage and, in his opinion, the absolutely unhandy condition that British law sort of disapproves of self-justice in general, Karan keeps on making himself and his well-being increasingly dependent of his friend. Unnoticed by them all, the inner and outer tensions are finally growing more acute and strike so suddenly and relentlessly at a point of time when nobody expects it in the least.

Devastated about the insight what people – including him – are able to do, Dev breaks up with his love broken-heartedly, and Karan loses himself. More and more. In order to put an end to being himself, Karan finally doesn’t care anymore for the means he uses and, thus, risks to lose everything for good, until, in the end, he understands that he himself is the only one who can find out -- in London, in India and eventually in himself – who he really is. And if there will be "a whole life" together for Dev and for him.