Pre-order

How to Commit a Postcolonial Murder

Get in the xigxag app
Already purchased

Click to open directly in the xigxag app.

This book is not purchasable in your country. Please select another book. Pre-order Buy Now £{{ price }} Send as a gift
How does xigxag pricing work?

Listen to a sample

What to expect

'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

'Nina McConigley is a true original . . . Heart-mending and heart-breaking - as only the truth can be' TAYARI JONES, author of AN AMERICAN MARRIAGE

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

Critics Review

An intriguing tale of murder, of sisters, of growing up as an Indian American girl in the 80s and a love letter to teen magazines that'll totally confound your expectations
Stylist
Tender, defiant, and formally daring, Nina McConigley's stunning debut novel How to Commit a Postcolonial Murder is 'not the expected brown person story' but rather a tale of sisterhood and survival, a child's yearning for safety and protection, and the search for wholeness in a world that wants to split you in half. I fell in love with McConigley's fierce, wry narrator Georgie Ayyar from the first page and couldn't stop reading. A powerful, groundbreaking book
Jessamine Chan, author of THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD MOTHERS
A fierce and marvelous book with an utterly unique, brightly burning lifeforce
Maggie Shipstead, author of GREAT CIRCLE
Nina McConigley is a true original. With a wit so sharp that it makes you bleed as soon as it would make you laugh, she slices through the postcolonial dilemma with all of its complexities and absurdities. Heart-mending and heart-breaking - as only the truth can be
Tayari Jones, author of AN AMERICAN MARRIAGE
I have been waiting for Nina McConigley's debut novel for years and it's even better than I could have imagined. How to Commit a Postcolonial Murder takes all the expected stories about growing up Indian American, slices them open with razor-sharp wit, and turns them inside out. A moving portrayal of sisterhood and a much-needed examination of how power is abused - over girls, over countries, over cultures - and the possibilities, and costs, of reclaiming that power
Celeste Ng, author of OUR MISSING HEARTS
Part thriller, part coming-of-age, part magazine quiz, Nina McConigley's inventive and captivating How to Commit a Postcolonial Murder boldly examines the often hidden and scary parts of childhood. Full of heart and soul, this is a knockout work that deftly tackles the complex bonds of friendship and family - offering up compelling questions for our notions of what it means to truly love
Aimee Nezhukumatathil, author of WORLD OF WONDERS
Spirited and witty, stylish and audacious, How to Commit a Postcolonial Murder is gorgeously in possession of itself. Its avid curiosity about the world, its alertness to history, and its enormously fun storytelling - with a twist at the end - held me in their spell
Megha Majumdar, author of A BURNING
This thrilling bildungsroman is perfect for fans of Celeste Ng
Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Framed like a funny, ferociously allusive grown-up version of a YA whodunit, McConigley's debut novel carries deeper, knottier mysteries than the curious crime at its center. Wittily observant and achingly tender
Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
McConigley's impactful work will linger. Interspersed with details of the U.S. in the late 20th century, this is a book for all collections
Library Journal (starred review)

More from the same

Narrator

About xigxag

Experience the best audiobooks with xigxag, an innovative and user-friendly audiobook platform designed for seamless discovery, purchase, and enjoyment of your favorite titles. Our flexible pricing model offers bestselling audiobooks for less, providing affordable prices and the best audiobook deals without requiring a subscription. Perfect for gifting, xigxag also features convenient audiobook gift cards and in-app audiobook gifting options.

 

Beyond the listening experience, xigxag stands as an exciting alternative to big tech, embodying a strong commitment to sustainability and ethical practices. As the only B Corp certified UK audiobook service, we ensure a guilt-free listening experience from a leader in audiobook innovation.

 

Effortlessly search audiobooks, access honest audiobook reviews that evaluate both the content and narration, and easily discover hidden gems. Whether you prefer to download or stream top audiobook titles, xigxag provides the best possible listening experience anytime, anywhere, on the UK’s best independent audiobook app. Discover the future of audiobooks today.