The trope of the older man lover was used in The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny, a book published and released in September 2025.
Ilan, is 32 years older than Sonia.
Character traits of Illan
- He was controlling
2. manipulative
3. stingy; he never paid for groceries as Sonia spent all her salary on them.
4. bad tempered
5. mentally unwell
6. superstitious. He believed he gained energy, by stealing possessions of others. (Desai, p.121)
7. a thief
8. predator of young women
9. drug addict
10. narcissistic
11. Illan showed sign and symptom of Oedipus Complex. He said he’s in love with his mother. Illan says to Sonia, “… the day this photograph was taken – that I saw her reflection in the lake and thought, I am in love with my mother” (Desai, p. 36)