How to Commit a Postcolonial Murder
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- $16.99
Publisher Description
A Most Anticipated Book of the Year from The New York Times, Literary Hub, Stylist and many more
'Takes all the expected stories about growing up Indian American, slices them open with razor-sharp wit, and turns them inside out' CELESTE NG, author of OUR MISSING HEARTS
'Droll, caustic . . . and laced with wit and compassion' FINANCIAL TIMES
Georgie and Agatha Krishna killed their uncle, and they blame the British.
Summer, 1986. Tween sisters Georgie Ayyar and Agatha Krishna welcome their aunt, uncle and young cousin - newly arrived from India - into their house in rural Wyoming where they'll all live together. Because this is what families do. That is, until the sisters decide that it's time for their uncle to die.
To understand why, you need to hear Georgie's story. It's one of violence hiding in their house and history, of her once-unshakeable bond with her sister, of being an Indian-American girl in the heart of the West. Her account is cheeky, unflinching and infectiously inflected with the trappings of teendom: pen pal letters, how-to guides, games of MASH and teen-magazine-style quizzes. And the tale she weaves is either:
a) a vivid portrait of an extended family
b) a moving story of sisterhood
c) a playful ode to the 80s
d) a murder mystery (of sorts)
e) a ruthless meditation on history and language, trauma and healing, and the meaning of independence
Or maybe it's really:
f) all of the above.
'This thrilling bildungsroman is perfect for fans of Celeste Ng' PUBLISHERS WEEKLY (starred review)
'A fierce and marvelous book with an utterly unique, brightly burning lifeforce' MAGGIE SHPISTEAD, author of GREAT CIRCLE
'Tender, defiant, and formally daring . . . I couldn't stop reading' JESSAMINE CHAN, author of THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD MOTHERS
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
McConigley follows her PEN/Open Book Award–winning collection, Cowboys and East Indians, with a witty and ultimately profound tale centered on two angsty preteens' plot to kill their abusive uncle. From the beginning, the reader knows the killing will take place, and the bulk of the novel explores the lead-up to the crime. The mixed-race 12-year-old narrator, Georgie Ayyar Creel, agrees with her 13-year-old sister, Agatha Krishna, that the legacy of British colonialism is the reason they feel so out of place in 1986 Wyoming. ("They were the reason we were quiet around most white people," Georgie reflects about the British.) They blame everything on the British, including the arrival of their Indian mother's odious brother, Vinny, from India. After Vinnie rapes them, they plot to murder him by putting antifreeze in his drinks. Initially, the scheme strengthens the sisters' bond, but after they go through with it, Georgie is filled with newfound heartache. McConigley blends the macabre material with clever stylistic devices, such as quizzes in the style of teen magazines ("How Do You Know If a Boy Likes You?"), which mirror the plot as Georgie works herself up to the murder ("Do You Have What It Takes to Kill"). This thrilling bildungsroman is perfect for fans of Celeste Ng.
