Since you enjoyed this, I have a recommendation. I bet you'd love "At Swim Two Boys" by Irish novelist Jamie O'Neill. He's been compared quite favorably to James Joyce, but I can assure that that as a contemporary novelist, O'Neill is more accessible, lol.

The story is on one level an historical romance with action and emotion to keep you turning pages. On another, it's a deeply thoughtful exploration of the origins and consequences of identity — queer, national, religious and more.

Critics and readers at large say At Swim is destined to be included among the great Irish novels of the 21st century. That it features two gay men at its heart is all the more reason to give it a go.