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How to Commit a Postcolonial Murder

'Heart-mending and heart-breaking' Tayari Jones, author of An American Marriage

By: Nina McConigley

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Hardcover | 22 January 2026 | Edition Number 1

At a Glance

Format
Hardcover

Dimensions(cm)
24.2 x 16.3 x 2.5

Hardcover

RRP $59.99

$43.75

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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

Industry Reviews

A fierce and marvelous book with an utterly unique, brightly burning lifeforce

Tender, defiant, and formally daring . . . I fell in love with McConigley's fierce, wry narrator Georgie Ayyar from the first page and couldn't stop reading

Inventive and captivating . . . Full of heart and soul, this is a knockout work

Spirited and witty, stylish and audacious

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